Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Imola saw Charles Leclerc take the first Imola podium for Ferrari since 2006. However, with a large upgrade package brought to the Enzo De Ferrari track, Leclerc admits he ‘wanted more’ from the weekend.
Charles Leclerc started his weekend strong in Imola, topping both FP1 and FP2. He left the Tifosi will high expectations on Saturday but unfortunately was only quick enough for P4. Which became P3 after Piastri received a penalty.
The race was tough for both Ferrari’s catching the McLaren’s at the start. In the end, not fast enough to pass them. Reflecting on his race with Sky Sports, Leclerc admitted, “of course I want more. I wish we were on the first step.”
However, the Monegasque driver recognised, “It’s the best we could do today.” After the race pace Ferrari showed, Leclerc said he was more ‘optimistic’ than he had been before the race.
He told Sky Sports “Yesterday, I was not that happy to see we were still losing in the first sector.” believing the issue was related to tyre preparation. Something Leclerc struggled with in the first few races this season.
However, the data showed it was only an issue with the launch. With Leclerc commenting, “McLaren and Red Bull are doing something special with the launch with their engine and they are gaining all of it [time] just there.”
He remained positive that if Ferrari could fix the issue with the launch, then they would be on an even playing field in qualifying. With Leclerc saying “in the race I don’t think there is much separating us on a day like this“
The performance displayed by the top three teams bodes well for the current season. Both McLaren and Ferrari are capable of taking a win off of Red Bull. Leaving the possibility for 2024 to become a very exciting season.
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