Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc believes that the Maranello still has several things to try out in order to try to get closer to Max Verstappen’s performance and that of Red Bull. Tomorrow, he will try to play on the surprise factor induced by the few laps done today by all the drivers due to the rain.
Ferrari made its presence felt in the upper ranks of the standings at the end of the first day of track activity at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finishing third in the second free practice session.
Truth be told, it was an almost useless session, where all the drivers did few laps on a track made wet and tricky by the rain and the low temperatures characterizing Suzuka this week.
The Red Team had given some good signs in a timid simulation of race pace in the first free practice session, but in the Scuderia’s box, everyone prefers to keep their feet firmly on the ground, considering that the track was dirty, slippery, and not rubberized. In short, it had all those characteristics that, at least on paper, tomorrow won’t be invited to stay.
“We haven’t learned enough from today, there’s still a lot to understand and learn,” admitted Charles Leclerc at the end of the second free practice session. “We still have several things to try, but this afternoon we got third place and we hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, so we’ll have the chance to try the things we want to do with a track maybe in different conditions than those we encountered today.”
“In Free Practice 1, we didn’t do much running, the track was dirty, slippery, and not rubberized, so we didn’t learn much in those conditions with the Hard tires. On the Soft tires, we only did a couple of laps. So, we did few laps, while we still have several question marks that we need to find answers to and sort out before tomorrow’s qualifying.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out after FP2.
Among the many question marks that Ferrari could be asking itself in these hours is the one related to performance on a single lap, which tomorrow will have to allow Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to battle with Max Verstappen and challenge him for pole position.
The Monegasque driver believes that Red Bull, especially in the hands of the three-time world champion, still has an advantage to manage, and that’s why tomorrow morning’s Free Practice 3 could be important for Ferrari, to try solutions that could allow its drivers to get closer to Max’s performance and, at least, put him in difficulty.
“I will do my best to take advantage of the situation and maybe surprise the others in qualifying. That’s the goal, for sure. The important thing is to make sure we’re as prepared as possible for tomorrow, and I think for now, we lack a bit of pace to fight for pole position because the Red Bulls always seem strong, especially Max. So, there’s still some work to do, but I hope to be one of the drivers capable of producing a special lap in tomorrow’s qualifying.” – he added.
Finally, Charles Leclerc spoke again about the helmet he used and will use throughout the Suzuka weekend. It’s a helmet that bears the same livery as the one used by his fraternal friend Jules Bianchi in his last season in Formula 1, the 2014 season.
“When I put on the helmet, I always think only about what happens on the track, but obviously, it was a very important signal for me, this helmet, to bring it here to Suzuka. Before doing so, I talked to Jules’ family, with whom we are always in contact, we are very good friends and very close. Jules’ parents were really very happy that I could wear this helmet right here. I’m really happy to be able to do it. Jules is always here with us, he must be remembered. If I’m in Formula 1 today, it’s because of him, it’s thanks to him. In short, it’s very important for me to wear this helmet right here, and I hope to have a great weekend with it,” Charles Leclerc concluded.
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