Charles Leclerc doesn’t shy away and states that he won’t settle for just 2-3 wins. He will aim to win as much as possible. A positive start with the SF-24 in today’s initial laps at Fiorano.
Extremely motivated. These are the most frequently used words by Charles Leclerc in the interview given to the selected press, including Motorsport.com. Coming off a multi-year extension with Ferrari, the 25-year-old Monaco native is gearing up for his sixth season in Formula 1 under the Prancing Horse banner.
The 2024 season is expected to be a redemption year after a lean 2023, marked by good moments – especially in the latter part of the season – but also several lows, notably zero victories and the acknowledged impossibility of competing for the title.
“More pressure, absolutely not. More motivation, I have always been extremely motivated,” Charles Leclerc began. “So being more motivated than I have always been is very difficult. Obviously, I am extremely motivated and hungry for wins. 2023 was a winless year for me, so I look forward to returning to the top step of the podium and especially with Ferrari. So, I am fully motivated. Does this make me more motivated? Not really.”
In today’s afternoon session, Leclerc had the chance to cover some kilometers behind the wheel of the SF-24, the car unveiled at noon by the Prancing Horse, aiming to enable the team to consistently compete for victories and, why not, fight for championships.
His initial impression, after testing it in the simulator, seems positive, especially compared to what he experienced in the first laps with the SF-23 last year.
“Based on the simulator, we have made progress, significant progress. In terms of reality, it’s still too early to say. I did three laps this morning, but three laps with cameras placed around the car and without pushing to the maximum. So, it’s too early to say.”
“I remember that after the first lap of last year, or if it wasn’t the first lap, it was the first three or four laps, I wasn’t very happy with the car’s behavior. The car was very, very difficult to drive. This year, I felt the car was better. On the other hand, I want to emphasize that this doesn’t mean anything about the car’s competitiveness because if other teams have made a bigger step in terms of lap time gain, then it can be an easier car to drive. But if it’s not fast enough, it won’t be fast enough on the track. So, in terms of competitiveness, it’s very difficult, but in terms of the actual feeling of the first laps, I would say that this year I had a better adaptation than last year.”
“Reflecting on the previous year, I think it’s always necessary to wait for 2 or 3 races to understand how strong the package is on different tracks because sometimes you can have a very strong package on one track, and then you get to another track, and it’s much more difficult. So, I think we’ll always have to wait for 2 or 3 races to see our car in different conditions, with different wind, different temperatures, different track layout before drawing conclusions about what can be achieved and what cannot be achieved in that season. But obviously, we’ll have a good picture of the situation more or less after the first race.”
The 2024 season is around the corner, but the news of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari from 2025 has at least partly dominated the questions directed at Charles Leclerc. He, although very measured, didn’t shy away from discussing it.
“Obviously, these kinds of agreements don’t happen overnight. It takes time, of course. I was aware of these discussions (between Hamilton and Ferrari) before signing my contract. So, it wasn’t a surprise after the signature. For the rest, I don’t want to make many comments. Especially out of respect for Carlos. We have had fantastic years together, and we still have a year to spend together, and we will do everything to finish well. Obviously, Lewis is an incredible driver, the most successful in history with a great experience, which he will bring to the team and, of course, to myself, which is positive. But again, with Carlos, it has been fantastic, and we have another year together to try to do the best job possible.”
“I have talked to Lewis, especially when everything was announced and officialized. We messaged each other, of course. As I said, Lewis is a great champion with a lot of experience and many successes. So, it’s always interesting to have a new teammate because you learn different ways of working, driving, and it’s even more so when my new teammate is a seven-time world champion.”
In addition to Hamilton’s signed contract for 2025, the multi-year agreement between Leclerc and Ferrari has also been renewed. The atmosphere within the Scuderia, the unity of purpose, and the desire to win the red title have led Charles to put pen to paper on the new contract to continue chasing his dream.
“Well, obviously, it’s part of my decision. I believe not only because it feels like a family, but above all because they were the first to believe in me before I arrived in Formula 1. They gave me the opportunity to get into Formula 1. They gave me the opportunity to be a Ferrari driver and to give me a good enough car to pole position, my first pole position and my first victory. But more than anything, I think what pushed me to sign a longer contract is because I believe in the project. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it. So, I fully believe in the project. I love Ferrari, that’s for sure, and I think it’s clear to everyone. But above all, I believe in the project, and I believe we have the best chances of becoming the best car on the grid in the coming years. That’s why I renewed with Ferrari.” – the Monegasque pointed out.
“With Fred Vasseur, of course, I have discussed a lot, and I completely agree with the long and medium-term vision he has for the team. And this gave me the necessary confidence to believe in the project for the future. However, going into the specifics of how things have exactly changed is more difficult because Fred’s way of working is different. And there are so many specificities that are different that it’s a different way of working. So yes, there is a difference. Fred is very, very clear about what he wants to achieve and the directions he gives to the team, and I think it’s a positive thing.”
“Obviously, the contract is multi-year, so I can’t go into details. But obviously, the goal of this new contract is to win a title together. But again, it all depends on the situation I will find myself in after this contract, and I love Ferrari very, very much. The goal of my career is to win a title with Ferrari. And I will do everything to win the title with Ferrari. And then for the future, I mean, I just signed my new contract, so I don’t want to talk about it now.”
Before Charles Leclerc’s interview, no one in Ferrari had openly spoken about goals for the 2024 Formula 1 season. The Monegasque, however, didn’t hold back, stating that he won’t settle for 2-3 wins. His intention is to win as many races as possible.
“2-3 wins in a season are not enough. I want to win as many races as possible. Then we’ll see at the end of the year. We need to understand where we will be after the first race to gauge how competitive we are. But yes, for now, it’s very difficult to outline our position after the first race. It will also depend on this. But 2 or 3 wins are not my goal. I want to win as many races as possible.”
In conclusion, Charles gave an overview of the current atmosphere within the corridors of the Scuderia at Maranello. Everyone is rowing in the same direction, everyone is eager to fight for significant goals, and it all began from the Dutch Grand Prix last year. At Zandvoort, Ferrari decided to sacrifice the weekend to have a clear picture of the car’s issues and start resolving them. Since then, things have improved, and the momentum seems to be still present in Maranello.
“The team is very motivated. I have felt this feeling for six months now. Six months ago, since we started the second part of the season, there was really great motivation from the entire team. I remember very clearly the moment we did our special tests in Zandvoort, in free practice, and we came back from Zandvoort, and we all sat down, and we had very clear results in front of our eyes. And I think that gave huge motivation to the team because we said, ‘Okay, now we understand what the weaknesses of the car are that we need to work on, what direction we need to take.’ And from that moment on, everyone has been fully on board with the directions I took.”
“Everything made sense. And right after 3 or 4 races, we brought the new floor to Japan, and immediately it was a step forward, in terms of wind sensitivity but also in terms of the front. I have often talked about wanting a strong front, and this, too, was a step forward. I really hope that this car can follow up on the momentum we had in the latter part of last year. But I don’t think it’s a new optimism. I believe it already started six months ago. But it’s a positive thing to see. And it’s exciting for the future,” concluded Charles Leclerc.
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