Charles Leclerc confident Ferrari is ‘working in the right direction’. Charles confident Ferrari is 'working in the right direction'.

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has admitted that “the road is still very long” before Scuderia Ferrari can again consider itself a championship contender in Formula 1.

In 2020 the Italian side endured its worst season in 40 years, with a sixth place finish in the Formula 1 Constructor Standings , having to deal with an underpowered power unit and high drag. The current season has been a far stronger showing for the Maranello team, despite the fact that Ferrari is far from a complete return to form, with four podium finishes and the team fighting McLaren to be ‘best of the rest’ in third in the standings.

At the end of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Charles Leclerc already gathered more points than in the entire 2020 Formula 1 season, a stat that the Monegasque driver feels reflects the progress made by the Italian side.

“It feels different,” he explained. “Already from the first race, I felt more confident with this car. The performance overall has just been better and we have also been more consistent compared to last year so it is good to see that. It shows we are working in the right direction. The road is still very long until we reach our objectives which is to fight again for the title but it has been a good step forward from last year and now we need to continue working in this direction.” – he added.

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The battle with McLaren for a place behind the duo of Mercedes and Red Bull will most likely continue until the end of the championship, (Abu Dhabi is the season finale), as the gap separating the two teams is just 17.5 points with seven races remaining.

“They are having a very good season unfortunately but it is good that we have such a fight. We have been very, very close during the whole season. In Monza, they were very strong and we will try to catch up now. Obviously, they are very quick, very consistent also, so now it is our job to try and maximise every weekend and hopefully we can get back in front of them at the end of the championship.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded.