Charles Leclerc believes: “We can reach the podium. And with this weather, dreaming bigger is possible”. Charles Leclerc aims for his first podium at Interlagos .

Fresh off achieving his 50th Formula 1 podium—all with Ferrari—Charles Leclerc heads to Interlagos confident in the progress of the SF-25. Following strong performances in Austin and Mexico, Ferrari has refined the details, executed clean weekends, and collected valuable points, climbing back to second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

Charles Leclerc targets Interlagos breakthrough

Despite never having stood on the podium at Interlagos, Charles Leclerc is determined to change that this weekend. The Monegasque driver commented during the press conference: “I love this track. Performance-wise, it’s not negative for me. For one reason or another, Sundays haven’t gone our way in the past, but I don’t dwell on it. If we execute everything perfectly, I’m confident we can finally reach the podium here. And seeing how unpredictable a weekend can be, why not aim for even more?”

Maintaining focus despite optimism

Charles Leclerc emphasized a measured approach: “We come with moderate expectations, applying the same mindset as in recent races. It’s important not to get carried away by the positives from Mexico and Austin. Those results came from perfect execution from Friday to Sunday, and it’s extremely difficult to replicate, especially in the unpredictable Brazilian conditions. We need to focus on our work as we have recently. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved over the last two weekends.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.

He also acknowledged the challenge of competing against the top teams: “We know we don’t have the pace of McLaren and Red Bull consistently, and Mercedes is very strong on some weekends. Achieving a solid team result against them will be crucial, particularly with Las Vegas ahead, where I expect the W16 to be favored. Mercedes were incredibly strong last year, and I’m certain they’ll be competitive again. Red Bull is also very quick, with Max performing brilliantly after upgrades, so the final part of the season will be tough. However, momentum is on our side, and we hope to maintain it.”