Under the lights of Jeddah, the fifth round of the championship, Charles Leclerc’s star shines bright: starting from fourth on the grid, the Monegasque driver of Ferrari displayed a blistering pace that earned him the podium. Now the goal is to get back to winning as soon as possible, but Charles knows that for Ferrari to be back in front, a precise improvement is still necessary.
A relentless pace that first took out a helpless Russell, then dashed the hopes of a recovering Norris, who had to settle for fourth. The Saudi race of the ’97-born Scuderia driver was flawless, starting from the getaway: then came the extended stint on medium tyres, with a string of personal fastest laps, followed by a perfect pit stop and another commendable stint.
Now Charles Leclerc regains energy and confidence: this Ferrari can return to winning ways and could have a chance in the championship, but one key aspect needs to be fixed. With all drivers very close in race pace, a good qualifying is needed to aim for victory.
Leclerc isn’t giving up on the championship: “To win, we need to fix qualifying”
The Ferrari in Leclerc’s hands is fast and competitive, and the Monegasque wants to return to victory. To succeed in this task, the Scuderia’s driver knows that a small step forward is still needed. “We’re all close in race pace. I think clean air somewhat decides who ends up winning the race. It’s always been that way, but maybe even more this year.”
“Unfortunately, in the past two years we’ve been struggling a bit in qualifying,” Leclerc noted. For him, improving single-lap pace is the key to bringing the red car back in front. “This weekend the problem in qualifying was different again. This time we were losing four tenths in the first three corners. The rest of the lap we were quick.”
Charles Leclerc is confident, but he knows there’s no time to waste—more points can’t be lost in the title fight. “We can’t afford to lose too many races trying to figure out what our issues are. We’re already 50 points behind in the drivers’ standings. We don’t focus on it too much, but 50 points is a big number: I don’t want to lose more in the upcoming races.”
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“If we start in front, we have a chance,” Charles Leclerc explained after the Saudi GP. “Otherwise, we’re all too close in the race to make a difference. We really need to focus on putting everything together in qualifying too.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.
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