Charles Leclerc sets goal for Spanish GP: "A podium is realistic, Red Bull too far away"

Ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc stated that trying to compete for victory against Red Bull is unthinkable, but aiming for a podium could be a realistic and achievable goal for the SF-23 at the Circuit de Catalunya.

As known for some time, Ferrari will introduce a substantial package of upgrades at Barcelona, including a new design for the side pods, which is expected to debut in tomorrow’s practice sessions.

“It has been a disappointing start to the season for us,” said the Monegasque driver. “We started with high hopes, having finished 2nd in the constructors’ championship last year, and with the hope of fighting for the title, but now we find ourselves in this situation. Our goal is to work as much as possible to get the best out of the cars.”

“At the moment, we are far behind the Red Bulls in the race, and there is a lot of progress to be made. But I don’t think we need to reconsider the project because we have a good car in qualifying. There are many rumors surrounding the team, but our aim is to improve.” – the Ferrari driver pointed out.

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Charles Leclerc is focused on giving his best without getting distracted by the criticisms that have been raining down on the team for a season start that has fallen well below expectations. The Monegasque driver then talked about the objective for this weekend, considering the updates introduced on the SF-23.

“I hope that with the upgrades this weekend, we can make progress. Also, because we have started to understand where some of the problems come from. A podium here is realistic, but at the moment, Red Bull is on another level to aim for victory. So if nothing happens to them, I don’t think it’s possible to aim for the win.”

“Last year, strategy was one of our weak points. Since then, there have been changes, and I am happy with the path we have taken,” added Charles Leclerc.

“Of course, there are races where things can go worse, but in Monaco, I am happy with how we managed the race and the choices we made. There were mistakes in qualifying that we will try to avoid. So far, it has been a challenging season.” – he added.

“Especially at the beginning of the year, we thought we had good potential that we couldn’t express due to mistakes, penalties, and various issues that cost us points. Only Baku allowed us to score a good number of points. Now, I’m aiming for the upcoming races to try to achieve what we deserve.” – Charles Leclerc concluded.