Charles Leclerc: “Performance simply isn’t there”
Qualifying in 5th position for Saturday's Spanish Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc noted serious improvements compared to free practice, but was still disappointed by the car's performance.
In an interview with journalists this Saturday after the qualifications where he finished 5th, Charles Leclerc opened up about the difficulties encountered during the sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix, highlighting the obstacles up to the third free practice session.
« I really had a very difficult time, really, up to FP3, I would say. FP1 and FP2 were extremely difficult for me », declared the Monegasque, highlighting the first setbacks encountered with the car configuration.
The Ferrari driver detailed the issues encountered during FP1 and FP2: “In FP1, we had the old package, so we obviously had to do a long run between the two cars, which was necessary. But on a track like Barcelona, when you lose two sets of tires, it’s difficult because you only have one lap per set, and then you lose 6 or 7 tenths on the second lap.”
Charles Leclerc satisfied with progress in Spain
Despite the initial difficulties, the adjustments made before FP3 have greatly improved Leclerc’s comfort with the car: « Today, we have fundamentallychanged, not everything, but a lot of things in the car. In FP3, I immediately felt much more comfortable. »
Interviewed about the performance of the car and the effectiveness of the recent upgrades, Leclerc remained cautious but optimistic: “The performance simply isn’t there. I am satisfied in a way with the progress, with the feeling of being on the right track today, which I think will work in our favor during the race.”
« The upgrade we have made does what it is supposed to do, and it is a good step forward. However, it is still a relative sport, and other teams have also made improvements, so it all depends on the extent of everyone’s progress », he continued.
He also addressed concerns regarding the balance between ease of driving and performance: « This upgrade was an improvement in performance and not an improvement in ease of driving, so what we have seen definitely brings more performance to the car. »
A clash with Lando Norris
In a moment of reflection on the incident with Lando Norris during FP3, Charles Leclerc dismissed any notion of intentional obstruction: « It was mostly a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean to hinder the cars behind. »
As the discussion focused on the competitive landscape, especially with Mercedes’ recent improvements, Leclerc remained calm, downplaying any concerns about their rivals’ progress.
The driver from Monaco concluded on a note of determination, recognizing areas for improvement, but focusing on optimizing their performance approaching the Grand Prix: « Of course, there is more optimization possible with this new package that we can do, but I would not want to make it an excuse, I just think that we are lacking a bit of performance today. »
