Charles Leclerc commented on his performance in the Austrian GP, where Ferrari secured a podium thanks to recent updates despite excessive lift and coast.
After Saturday’s qualifying session, the podium was the minimum target for Ferrari. Beating this McLaren currently seems very difficult, which is why Charles Leclerc’s third-place finish in Austria should be seen as a positive for the team, considering the recent updates and the intense lift and coast management required during the race.
This result allows the Maranello team to climb back to second place in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull. It’s a meaningful and far from obvious outcome, given the issues shown by the SF-25 earlier in the season.
Charles Leclerc’s comments after the Red Bull Ring race
At the end of the race, Charles Leclerc reflected on his own performance and the team’s. He explained that unfortunately, he had to do a lot of lift and coast and overall car management, especially during the first stint. He admitted that driving in those conditions is tough, but said they are in a situation where they need to maximize every opportunity. According to Charles Leclerc, they paid the price for it because the lift and coast strategy didn’t match well with the balance of his car.
He added that this made things difficult, although catching the McLarens would likely have been hard regardless. Still, he acknowledged progress and credited the upgrades for helping. He emphasized that they must keep pushing, as they cannot be satisfied with just a podium. However, this third place is important to boost team morale, and he believes the team deserves it for the effort they are putting in. He concluded by saying he hopes the upcoming updates will allow them to take another step forward.
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