Charles Leclerc previews Ferrari SF-24 updates: “I hope for a better Saturday than at Zandvoort”. Charles Leclerc on the updates arriving for the Italian GP.

One-stop races favor the SF-24 single-seater
“Ferrari could be the big favorite in the next two races.” Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso has already made his prediction for Monza (and Baku), and Lando Norris also admitted during the press conference that the SF-24 surprised him positively during the race in the Netherlands. Frederic Vasseur’s team was particularly pleased with the performance of the Ferrari drivers last weekend at the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggled in last Saturday in the qualifying session, but in the race, they climbed from sixth to third and from tenth to fifth, respectively, without any major retirements, relying solely on their performance and a flawless Ferrari pit wall, especially during Charles Leclerc’s undercut on Oscar Piastri and George Russell.

Charles Leclerc’s long stint on hard tires raised concerns that the Monegasque driver would be an easy target for Oscar Piastri, but that didn’t happen. The SF-24 struggles to heat the tires on Saturday but is gentle in managing them during the race. Most drivers opted for a one-stop strategy instead of two – unlike the races since Canada – and both Ferrari drivers were highly competitive in stints on medium and hard tires.

Charles Leclerc now hopes that the updates arriving this weekend for the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit will make the Maranello team more competitive on Saturday as well: “I hope Saturday at Monza will be more positive than at Zandvoort. We will also have updates that I hope will help us get closer,” he said to Sky Sport after the race. In the press conference, the Ferrari driver added that the race result at Zandvoort has also lifted the team’s spirits for the upcoming races, after a disappointing Friday and Saturday: “If you had asked me this question on Saturday, I would have said it would be very difficult. Sunday went much better. If we can understand what is happening with our car, then I’m quite optimistic about the future. But for now, we still don’t fully understand. Until the updates arrive, our priority was to limit the damage; at Monza, we’ll see if these new developments help us.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.