Charles Leclerc was encouraged by Ferrari CEO Fred’s new “brave” strategy
Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari is now in a position to fight Red Bull for the world title because of the adjustments made by team principal Fred Vasseur. Max Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship was whittled down to 31 points when Monegasque Leclerc won his first race of the year two weeks ago on his home streets.
After winning four of the first five races of this season, Verstappen looked certain to win the world championship a record four times. However, the Red Bull driver has only won one of the last three races, raising the possibility of a title challenge.
Leclerc believes Ferrari is in a better position now that Vasseur’s efforts since taking over last year are beginning to pay off. Leclerc was undone by a series of team mistakes when he looked to have a title-challenging car in 2022.
We are the team that has progressed the most during this time, according to Leclerc, “because we have taken a really good approach in the last seven to eight months to be very quick in addressing the issues that we had on the car.” “We must continue to maximize each and every aspect while keeping our attention on ourselves and not on other people.
There have undoubtedly been adjustments, and I truly appreciate them. Making decisions is obviously not taking us longer than necessary, and up to now, the choices have frequently been the right ones.For me, it’s important to not be frightened to try new things and to occasionally need bravery while taking risks.
“You can see the advantages of doing that now, even though we were a little safer doing those things in the past.” Ferrari is widely seen as the favourite to win when it arrives in Canada, even with the possibility of rain affecting the race.
Red Bull felt their car is less successful on uneven circuits with big kerbs, which is why they suffered in Monaco. Leclerc believes Red Bull will soon return to the top at more “normal” circuits and isn’t letting himself consider being the favorite this weekend.
“No driver wants to find out on the weekend that they are the favorites. Leclerc continued, “You will never hear me suggest that we are the clear favorites this weekend, and the same goes for them.
You must therefore toss the ball to your nearest opponents. In actuality, it is really tough to choose a favorite between those three teams—Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren—because we are so evenly matched. This is the third race in a row that features a lot of bumps and kerb riding. Up to this race, I believe the pattern will be similar, but after Barcelona, I anticipate Red Bull will pick things up.
“I believe we did a fantastic job. The most crucial thing was that, despite the fact that we started the season trailing Red Bull, we are not that far behind them today and have not dropped many points. Max Verstappen thinks that this weekend may bring Red Bull’s problems to light once more. supplied by The Irish News
Verstappen voiced concern that, given the challenges his team faced in Monaco, they would encounter a similar set of challenges in Montreal—even on a track that had been resurfaced following the previous year’s race.
Verstappen stated, “I think we have a lot to work on; we knew that already, but after Monaco, we have a good direction to work in.” “I don’t spend time or energy worrying about what other people are doing. The kerbs are undoubtedly not our favorite item, but we are aware that there are things we can do better. This is not a problem that can be resolved every week.