With just one day until the 2022 Formula 1 cars hit the track in Bahrain for the free practice sessions ahead of the first round of the new season, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has reiterated that his target is to once again challenge Mercedes and Red Bull Racing for race wins, confirming that if the F1-75 car will indeed be able to fight for the Formula 1 title, he is more than ready.
The Maranello team comes off the back of a positive pre-season testing programme and is looking for its first Formula 1 constructors’ title since 2008 and its first drivers’ championship since 2007. Charles Leclerc, who is ready to start his fourth campaign with the Italian side, previously admitted that this pre-season testing period was in fact the “smoothest” he’d experienced with the Maranello team.
As the focus now shifts to the Bahrain Grand Prix, he added: “I think our objective is to try and fight for wins whenever we can. Realistically, if I need to make a guess now, I would say we are a little bit behind Red Bull. But Mercedes, we don’t know, we really have no idea where they are but for sure they will be in the front, in the top three. It’s going to be close, but I still believe we are a bit behind. We’ll have to work hard to try and catch up a little bit.” – Charles Leclerc added.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma!
When asked about his personal goals for the 2022 championship, he echoed Ferrari’s expectations: “It’s honestly the same mentality as the team goal: to be fighting for wins. I miss it. I mean, I’ve had two wins in 2019, which are moments that I will never forget, and to be fighting for competitive positions gives you a lot of motivation. So yes, this is definitely my goal, to be fighting at the top again.”
Ferrari should be in a position to challenge Red Bull and Mercedes in the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season, despite the fact that there are a lot of unknowns before the first round – and there is a chance Ferrari could find themselves back at the top again.
Is Charles Leclerc ready for a title fight this season?
“I feel ready!” – the Monegasque driver replied – “I mean I’ve always felt ready, you need to feel that way as a driver. If you don’t believe in yourself, then stay home, and I believe in myself and I feel much readier than I was in 2019. I’m more grown, I have more experience, which will help. So yes, I do [feel ready]. But I don’t get carried away. We still need to work extremely hard, and we cannot relax. Because again, we don’t know. This is my guess. So, to prepare for this we need to assume we are still quite a bit behind and that we need to work very hard. This is the mentality now in the team.” – Charles Leclerc concluded.
Leave a Reply