Marc Gene on Ferrari’s title challenge: “Vasseur says not to look at the standings, but it’s inevitable”. Marc Gene reflects on Ferrari's title challenge after Monaco win.

Charles Leclerc has 31 points to make up on Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship, while Ferrari is only 24 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. Max Verstappen has won five out of eight races, but his zero points in Australia are significant, and Charles Leclerc isn’t far behind. Most importantly, he broke his 40-race winless streak in Monaco. The upcoming races will be crucial in determining the realistic objectives for a Ferrari team that has improved with the updates from Imola and has more innovations planned before the summer break.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has stated that looking at the standings is a mistake not to be made, but Marc Gené admitted that it’s inevitable to glance at the rankings now that they have become quite interesting for the Maranello team: “I know we shouldn’t look at the standings and Fred says not to watch the championship, but it’s inevitable. If you look at the championship, 20 points are nothing,” said Marc Gené, a guest on the F1 Nation podcast. “For now, we enjoy the moment and then we’ll see what happens in the next races.” – he pointed out.

Ferrari dominated in Monaco right from Friday, but there was a moment of apprehension at the worst time: “Charles Leclerc risked not passing Q1,” added Marc Gené. “It would have been incredible because since Friday he had been extremely fast. He did what he wanted at Sainte-Devote and Rascasse, and after the Imola updates, he feels even more comfortable with the car. Another disappointment on Sunday would have been very hard to accept, but this time everything went our way with the red flag allowing Carlos Sainz to return to third position and complete his pit stops.” – the Ferrari brand ambassador concluded.