A broad smile returns to the face of Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc: the Ferrari driver secured second place at the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg after starting alongside the absolute dominator, Max Verstappen.
In an interview with Sky Sport Italy, the focus is on the excellent race and the encouraging direction of the updates from the Prancing Horse. However, Charles Leclerc does not overlook the “problems” encountered during the wet Saturday Sprint: despite the less positive note, the Monegasque looks to the future with great optimism.
A finally serene Charles Leclerc explains, “I’m much happier compared to yesterday. I struggled a lot on Saturday. Today was a good day, the feeling was good. The first stint was all about tire degradation, so we knew we had to keep a margin at the start to push towards the end,” he says, analyzing the strategy.
“In addition, for me, it was also about regaining the confidence that I had lost yesterday,” he continues. Feeling regained: “Little by little, the pace came back. We couldn’t do better than second place, we maximized everything, that’s the positive point.” But he’s not the only one: “The updates we brought are working well. We are still far from Red Bull, there is still a lot of work to do, that’s clear, but it’s a step forward!”
Italian journalist Mara Sangiorgio asks: “With the tire degradation issues resolved, are you back as the second force?” Charles Leclerc remains cautious: “It’s too early to say, but I would say we have taken a step in the right direction. I think maybe Aston Martin and Mercedes struggled more than expected, judging by McLaren’s strong performance. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but it’s a step forward.” – he pointed out.
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Finally, a look at the difficult Saturday where the Monegasque driver highlighted some difficulties in the wet conditions: “In my opinion, it concerns the car’s setup, how I configure the car. I like a very aggressive car that rotates a lot, with a very light rear end.”
“As soon as I’m on slick tires with partially wet track conditions, it becomes difficult to drive,” he continues. “I have to understand how to better interpret these conditions and set up the car according to my driving style. At the moment, it’s too aggressive for those conditions,” he says, referring to the damp asphalt during the Sprint. “But every time I’ve worked on something, I’ve improved it, so I’m not too worried.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded following the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
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