At the end of the second free practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, Charles Leclerc spoke to the media with a moderately positive tone, despite the persistent issues with the Ferrari SF-25 on a single lap.
Coming off a few physically challenging days, the Monegasque driver confirmed he is feeling better: “I’m still a bit under the weather, but I’m definitely better than yesterday and especially compared to previous days. I just have a sore throat and a cough, nothing that compromises my driving.”
Convincing race pace for Ferrari, but in qualifying…
What gave Charles Leclerc confidence was the car’s behavior during the afternoon long runs: “We had good sensations, we managed to keep a solid rhythm. Seeing some of our rivals struggling gives us confidence: we’re in a better position than on other occasions.” An encouraging sign for Sunday’s race, where Ferrari aims to capitalize on the potential shown in race pace simulation.
However, one major variable remains to be beaten: McLaren. “They are still a step ahead, but at least in race pace they don’t seem unreachable. We need to analyze everything properly and look for that little extra,” said Charles Leclerc, underlining the need to maximize every detail to stay in contention.
The outlook for qualifying, however, is much more uncertain. Charles Leclerc didn’t hide the SF-25’s issues during the fast lap simulation: “We’re still far off in qualifying simulation and this has been a problem since the beginning of the season. I still haven’t found a clear answer as to why we struggle so much on a single lap.”
For Sunday’s race, the minimum target remains the second row, maybe even the third, although Charles Leclerc knows it won’t be easy: “Starting ahead would be important, but honestly it’ll be difficult. That said, with the pace we saw today, we could still build something for Sunday, even on a track where overtaking isn’t easy.”
