“It was a bit of a boring race,” began Charles Leclerc after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to.
It could be seen as such, the Monegasque had what could be described as a lonely race. He fought with Sergio Perez for second place at the start — and won, at first, until the Mexican overtook him with DRS at lap 4 — then kept a steady pace that allowed him to finish third without any further problems. On the final lap, Leclerc got some DRS from a backmarker to pinch the fastest lap point.
“Red Bull were a bit too quick and behind we had a bit of a gap, but we took the maximum points we could today and that was the target. So that’s great.
“We had quite a good pace because we had the fastest lap at the end – I got a bit helped by a DRS. But overall, the feeling was pretty good. It was a bit of a boring race because Red Bull were a bit too quick. Behind, we had a bit of a gap. But we took the maximum points we could today. That was the target,” he expressed.
“We maximized our potential today and couldn’t have done better than this. We struggled a bit on the Mediums, the Hards were tricky at first but improved throughout the stint and I was able to set the fastest lap on them with a bit of help from DRS. All in all, I felt good in the car.
“From last to this year, the team that made the biggest step forward is us and that is thanks to the work of the guys in the team and on track. We are in a good moment and we need to keep working and I’m sure satisfaction, which is winning and beating RBR, will come soon,” said the 26-year-old.
When asked by Sky F1 how long it may be until Ferrari is putting Red Bull under pressure, Leclerc cannot be sure: “I haven’t looked at the pace yet, but I imagine it was maybe three, four-tenths slower per lap, which is a lot in the world of motorsports.
“However, when you’re going to look at every part of the car, you’re gaining one-hundredth per part, then you are straightaway gaining that.“
Leclerc praised his team for the job done over the winter and the gains they made. The SF-24 is a much improved car and is far more predictable for the drivers.
“And I think in the last few months, we are the team that have improved the most because we have been working extremely well. And we just have to keep doing that and I’m sure that our moment will come.
“Then when exactly, I don’t know what Red Bull has in their pocket in terms of upgrades and that will define when exactly we will be able to match them.
“We’ve got a few things coming as well. I don’t exactly know when, I mean I know, but I cannot say, so we’ll keep working, keep focusing on ourselves and I hope that it’s very soon that we’ll be able to put them under pressure,” he concluded.
