Charles Leclerc happy after Monza practice: "Positive performance, updates are working"

Charles Leclerc ends the first day at Monza with a smile, especially due to the performance shown by the SF-24 and the fact that the updates, based on the initial data, seem to be working as expected. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in terms of balance, which is why the Monegasque driver doesn’t feel completely comfortable yet.

Charles Leclerc is satisfied as he speaks to the media at the end of the first day of practice at Monza, even though there are some small details to fine-tune, as is always the case at the end of a Friday practice session. The Monegasque driver finished FP2 in fifth position, about a tenth and a half behind Lewis Hamilton, although the red flag prevented him from making a second attempt that he would have liked to try.

There are still positive aspects from this day, according to the Monegasque driver, especially regarding performance, with a Ferrari that was overall close on the fast lap, and with updates that, in his opinion, seem to have worked as expected based on the initial findings. In fact, the updates to the floor were already installed on both Charles Leclerc’s and Carlos Sainz’s cars in the first practice session.

This clearly inspires confidence, even though caution is still advised, especially considering Ferrari’s journey this season and because other teams have sometimes been misled by updates only to struggle more during the rest of the weekend. However, the initial sensations are positive.

“It was a rather positive Friday, even though there is work to be done, as always. But it’s a good start, the feeling is good, everything we’ve brought to the car seems to be working as we expected, which is always positive,” said Charles Leclerc at the end of the day.

The Monegasque driver also mentioned how much work still needs to be done on the balance. As in other events this season, the feeling with the car is not yet completely perfect, and there’s room for improvement to make the SF-24 more comfortable for the drivers to drive: this would have a dual effect, namely making it easier to find the right confidence in the car and improving tire wear. This is currently the main priority for Ferrari.

“Now we need to focus on the balance, because it has been a difficult day in this regard, even though we did well in terms of performance. But there are steps forward we can take in terms of balance,” added Charles Leclerc.

“When you sort out qualifying, you also sort out the long runs in terms of balance, but we’ll see. I think Sunday’s race will be a bit more difficult for everyone due to the new asphalt, so tire management will be very important. We need to focus on this aspect, to keep the tires alive on Sunday but, first of all, we need to make progress on the balance.”

Leclerc hopes to be genuinely in the mix with the leading teams, although tire management in the race will certainly be something to watch. With the new asphalt, graining has affected team performance, and Ferrari hasn’t been immune on the mediums, but it’s also true that the track will improve in the coming days, thanks in part to the rubber left by the support series. The sensations are undoubtedly better than those in Zandvoort, but the Monegasque driver rightly doesn’t want to underestimate the competition.

“We’re closer than we were in Zandvoort, however, I think the McLarens are strong and the Mercedes are also strong. We will have a lot of competition tomorrow, but we are in the fight compared to Zandvoort and this is a positive thing for Saturday, hoping that we will also be competitive on Sunday.”