Charles Leclerc gives verdict on Friday practice in Monza: “We know what to do for tomorrow”. Charles gives verdict on Friday practice.

F1 Monza, Charles Leclerc confident for Sunday

The Ferrari 2023 F1 single-seater is a car that performs relatively better on low-downforce tracks compared to more twisty circuits. Therefore, Monza represents a virtually unique opportunity for the SF-23 to get closer to Red Bull. However, unlike what one might have thought beforehand, Charles Leclerc got off to a less favorable start than Carlos Sainz, who was in top form today.

The Monegasque driver finished the FP1 in fourth place and FP2 in sixth, on both occasions behind his teammate. Evidently, he struggled with the setup for a single fast lap, and surely, Charles Leclerc will consult with his engineers tonight to decide whether it’s worth bringing a slightly more loaded rear wing (like Carlos Sainz’s) to defend better in Lesmo and Alboreto.

Charles Leclerc’s comments:

The Monegasque driver, who secured his second career victory here in 2019, emphasized that he felt much better on the race pace than in qualifying simulation: “It’s been a challenging day. Our performance has been quite good, although I struggled a bit with the balance. We still need to work on it for tomorrow, especially on the single lap. On the long runs, I felt more comfortable. With a lot of fuel, we did well. As for the single lap, I believe we know what to do for tomorrow; I’m not worried. I went in a slightly different direction; we need to reset a bit and focus mainly on low-fuel runs.” – he pointed out.

The embrace of the fans

Charles Leclerc commented on the passionate Ferrari fans who, as usual, welcomed him with great affection and will support him throughout the weekend: “Being here in front of the fans is always special. Even in a challenging year, they are always here to support us to the fullest and make us smile.”

“So, we hope that on Sunday, it will be their turn to smile with a great result from both Carlos and me. Can they hope for it? Well, today’s performance seems quite positive. So, I hope to achieve great results on Sunday.” – the Scuderia Ferrari driver concluded ahead of Saturday in Monza.