Charles Leclerc: “our consistency will be crucial to win the title”

Is Ferrari in a position to win the constructors’ title this season? The question arises after a difficult Singapore Grand Prix where they conceded points to their rivals McLaren and Red Bull, due to their drivers finishing fifth and seventh this Sunday, as well as the significant gap to the winner of the day, Lando Norris, as Leclerc finished over a minute behind the McLaren driver. Now 75 points behind the Woking team, Ferrari knows that winning the title will be challenging, given the superior pace of McLaren compared to other teams. For the Monaco winner, consistency will be the key element for Ferrari in this end of the season.

The importance of maximizing results

« I think that if we stay consistent and we avoid missing too many opportunities, we will add up the scores in the end and, hopefully, we will have enough points to win the constructors’ [title]. » The Monegasque does not give up in the title race. However, he acknowledges that without mistakes from the British team, the quest for the constructors’ title will be difficult to achieve consistently. « But in terms of pure speed, I don’t think we are yet at the level to fight for the constructors’ title. I don’t really see us in the battle, but if they make mistakes, then we could end up being in the mix, as is currently the case. »

Ferrari has indeed capitalized on a few mistakes made by McLaren, such as at Monza where Zak Brown’s team decided to bring in Oscar Piastri while he was leading the race, allowing Leclerc to make only one pit stop and win the Grand Prix ahead of the two McLaren drivers. However, the Monegasque driver remains cautious about Ferrari’s recent performances, which have been more convincing than before the summer break. These results seem more related to the characteristics of recent circuits, which favor the car, such as Monza and Baku. “As good as the last two races have been, we have always said that we must be careful not to have false expectations, as McLaren still has a better car than us, quite significantly.”

Ferrari must take advantage of McLaren’s mistakes according to its drivers.

« There are circuits where it will be very tight, and others where we will be more distant. Before this race, we were quite close, and we never really had the fastest car, except maybe in Monaco, and in Monza where we were also quite strong. » For Leclerc, Ferrari must absolutely maximize its results, even on tracks that do not suit him, like Leclerc’s podium at Zandvoort. A strategy that was not respected this weekend, especially in qualifying where both drivers finished in ninth and tenth positions, with no time for Leclerc due to track limits, and an accident for Sainz. The Spaniard also mentioned Ferrari’s objectives for the end of this season. He shows himself less optimistic than his teammate, considering that McLaren is out of reach and that Ferrari can only aim for second place, currently occupied by Red Bull.

« McLaren clearly has the advantage and is the favorite to win », added the Spaniard, who nevertheless thinks that the title remains achievable if McLaren accumulates mistakes and problems during the race. « We still have Red Bull in our sights, and of course McLaren, if they start to have problems. We have to stay in the race. » The Ferrari driver anticipates a tight duel with the Austrian team until the end of the season and would be satisfied if Ferrari manages to surpass them because « it would show good resilience from the team after a difficult period where we lost a lot of points and development. » « But Red Bull will come back strong with improvements at the end of the season, once they have understood what was wrong with their car, so it will not be easy to beat them either. »

A lot of things can still happen during the last six rounds of the season, and it is possible that everything will be decided during the final race in Abu Dhabi, making this season even more uncertain and exciting.