Charles Leclerc, a driver for Ferrari, has issued a warning about the current standings in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship. Leclerc believes that the small gap between Ferrari and Red Bull does not accurately reflect the pace of the two teams. While Red Bull has had strong performances in the first two races of the season, they encountered difficulties in Australia. Leclerc pointed out that Red Bull struggles more on circuits that require front-limited performance, which allowed Ferrari to capitalize and close the gap in the standings. However, Leclerc expects Red Bull to regain their advantage in the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix. He emphasized the importance of maximizing points and expressed optimism about future upgrades that will help Ferrari compete with Red Bull consistently. Overall, Leclerc views Ferrari’s start to the season as positive.
Ferrari’s improved performance this season can be attributed to the success of the engineers in creating a more drivable SF-24 car compared to its predecessor. Despite being pessimistic about their chances against Red Bull, Leclerc believes that the team will be in a better position than they were during their last race in Suzuka in September. Leclerc emphasized that their strong performance in Australia was largely due to the front graining, but they expect less of it in Japan. However, he still expects Red Bull to have the advantage in the race. Nonetheless, if there is an opportunity like in Australia, they need to be ready to seize it. Leclerc is confident that they will be closer to Red Bull this year, especially in high-speed situations, as they have made significant improvements to the car. In contrast to last year’s inconsistencies, the car is now more predictable, which should help them narrow the gap to Red Bull. In the opening practice session in Japan, Red Bull set the fastest time, but Carlos Sainz, who finished third, found encouragement in the small margin between their times. Meanwhile, Leclerc finished sixth in FP1, but a late surge on the Soft compound in a damp second session allowed him to move up to third place.