Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has voiced his criticism towards those who only pay attention to poor performances, following a difficult Sunday afternoon for the Maranello team and a seventh-place finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring racing track in Budapest.
Despite finishing sixth on the track, the Monégasque driver slipped back behind Mercedes’ George Russell due to a five-second penalty received for speeding in the pit lane during his final pit stop at the Hungaroring.
Overall, Scuderia Ferrari experienced another disappointing race as they finished behind both Red Bulls, both McLarens, and both Mercedes’ cars, being the fourth fastest car in a track that was expected to be favourable for the Maranello team’s SF-23 car
At the same tie, the Italian side’s indecisiveness with strategy was evident again, with both drivers following different approaches, and an apparent wheel gun failure resulted in a 9.4-second pit stop setback for Charles Leclerc in the first pit stop, which completely compromised any chance for the Monegasque of fighting for a place in the top five.
“The pit stop was slow and then I had a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane,” Charles Leclerc replied when asked about the difficulties encountered in the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon in Budapest – “So yeah, it was difficult and honestly it is frustrating because I felt with the pace we had, even when as a driver when you feel like you are doing a good job with the car you have, nobody really notices it and when you do a bad job, everyone notices it. It is difficult but in the end, it is a part of the game.” – the Monegasque driver continued.
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The only positive note for the Maranello team is the fact that the overall results at the Hungaroring meant Ferrari was able to slightly reduce the gap to third-placed Aston Martin in the Constructors’ standings ahead of the next round of the 2023 Formula 1 season, the Belgian Grand Prix. However, McLaren has been able to significantly improve its recent performances following the introduction of a big aero package and at this stage the Woking-based seems able to recover the 80-point deficit to Ferrari in the second part of the season.
Still, Charles Leclerc wanted to defend Ferrari from the criticism following the poor results in Budapest, instead focusing on the general picture:
“I feel like the result is much worse than what it felt like. The first stint felt really good and then the low stop put us on the back foot behind Lance [Stroll, Aston Martin driver]. Had to push a lot and then we were behind Carlos and lost a bit of time there, then in the third stint I had to push again there. The car felt ok, so I feel like the result is worse than it actually is, but compared to Lando [Norris], we are still behind.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded.
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