Despite anticipating a damage limitation weekend, Ferrari managed to outscore McLaren at the dramatic F1 Qatar GP thanks to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing P2 and P6 respectively.
The championship battle will now go down to the wire in Abu Dhabi with the Scuderia trailing behind the Woking-based team by 21 points.
While Max Verstappen secured the drivers’ title in Las Vegas, the battle for the vice championship still rages on. Sunday’s race at the Lusail International Circuit saw Charles Leclerc finish P2 as Lando Norris recovered to tenth place after receiving a 10-second stop-go penalty. The eight-time race winner now sits 8 points behind the McLaren driver.
At the post-race press conference for the F1 Qatar GP, Leclerc spoke at length about their expectations heading into the weekend and the outcome of the race. He also addressed how he steered clear of the debris on the track that led to a couple of punctures. Furthermore, the Monégasque shared his thoughts on Ferrari’s championship chances and his battle for second place in the drivers’ championship.
F1 Qatar GP results exceeding expectations
Stating that the circuit in Qatar didn’t suit the traits of the SF-24 very well, Leclerc confirmed that they were positively surprised by Sunday’s outcome. While they expected McLaren to excel in terms of race pace, he added that Ferrari didn’t expect Red Bull to secure the win after having started the weekend on the back foot.
Lamenting the puncture that derailed his teammate Carlos Sainz’s race, Leclerc nonetheless hailed their overall performance in Lusail as positive since they managed to keep their championship hopes alive.
“Yes, we did, because to be honest, we knew that it would be very difficult pace-wise. We expected McLaren to be very strong in terms of race pace. We maybe did not expect Max [Verstappen] to be that strong, but he was super strong today.
“However, finishing second after such a weekend, where the track characteristics are very far off from the optimal of the track characteristics we need for our car, is a surprise.
“We got a little bit lucky, obviously on my side. A bit unlucky with Carlos [Sainz] and his puncture. But as a team, it’s been a positive weekend.
“So yes, we exceeded our expectations because coming into the weekend, I kind of expected to lose a bit of points compared to McLaren here. However, we recovered some, so that’s good.”
Optimising the package for the weekend
In terms of the progress Ferrari made over the course of the weekend, Leclerc revealed that it wasn’t substantial. Explaining that they simply focused on maximising the potential of the car, he remarked that the team was satisfied with their efforts.
The 27-year-old also offered assurances that they intend to optimise their car better for high-speed tracks such as Lusail in the upcoming season.
“Not much. I felt like we optimised yesterday and today. We knew that it wasn’t going to be our strongest weekend, but we decided to just focus on ourselves and try to do what was the best possible result for us.
“And I think we achieved that very well. We should be happy.
“Then we of course need to look at what we can do in the future to be faster on those kinds of tracks.
“But yeah, this weekend we did work very well as a team.”
Navigating the debris from the broken mirror at F1 Qatar GP
Highlighting the aggressive nature of the kerbs at Lusail and the massive performance gains they provide, Leclerc confessed that he was unsure if the punctures were caused by the debris or frequent kerb-riding.
With regard to dodging the scattered debris, the Ferrari driver revealed that he kept to the left in the straights.
In spite of expressing disappointment that they didn’t manage to claw back more points from McLaren due to Sainz’s puncture, Leclerc reiterated that they were satisfied with the overall results.
“Honestly, I don’t know whether it was the debris or the way the kerbs are and the way we need to ride the kerbs. On the kerbs, I just ignored it, because I knew that there was too much performance in it and I was just hoping to not have a puncture myself as well.
“For the debris, I was staying on the left in the straights hoping that it wouldn’t bite me and it didn’t, hopefully.
“It’s a shame for Carlos [Sainz] because obviously as a team, it would have been great to be further up with Carlos. But yeah, it’s the way it goes and it’s still a positive weekend overall for the team.”
Malfunctioning drink system in the race
When asked to elaborate on the issue he encountered with his drinks bottle, Leclerc disclosed that he drove all 57 laps on Sunday without water. However, he clarified that the lower temperatures this season made it possible for him to complete such a physically taxing race without major complications.
“Yeah, I didn’t drink. But honestly, I don’t think it was that much of an issue for this race. Last year it would have been a really, really big issue. I think I wouldn’t have finished the race without my drink, but this year it was actually pretty, pretty chill.
“So yeah, in terms of dehydration, it wasn’t bad, but it was quite physical in the corners just because we had no saving to do today. There was basically no saving. It was just flat out pushing from the first lap to the last lap, which is quite enjoyable as a driver.
“I don’t think any of us drivers had our heads straight in the fast corners at the end of the race. It was very physical.”
Ferrari’s momentum in WCC heading to Abu Dhabi
Leclerc admitted that without Norris’s penalty and the fortunate timing of the safety car at the Qatar GP, the SF-24 lacked the pace to finish ahead of the McLarens. Hesitant to make any definitive comments on the fate of the constructors’ championship, he remarked that they are more optimistic about their performance in the season finale.
Asserting that a gap of 21 points is surmountable, Leclerc once more stated that the Italian marque seeks to focus on their own performance and bring the biggest trophy back to Maranello after sixteen years.
“Well, it’s difficult to say. To be honest, I haven’t even seen the numbers yet. So we’ve got to wait and see.
“But I feel like on paper, it should be a bit more positive than Qatar was.
“Again, today we’ve been quite lucky, but without what happened to Lando [Norris], we would have been very, very far off. And without the safety car, we would’ve been very far off. In terms of race pace, we weren’t fast.
“Yeah, Abu Dhabi should be better for us. So I hope so. But we’ll wait and see.
“But it’s not too many points between us. So we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and try to maximise everything. And hopefully we’ll bring back the title to Maranello.”
Prioritising the WCC over the WDC
Emphasising the difficult moments they have endured during the season, Leclerc responded that securing the vice championship would provide a huge morale boost. However, he also affirmed that the constructors’ title remains the utmost priority for him and the Scuderia.
“I mean, that would be cool. It’s better than P3, but it’s not the most exciting position to fight for.
“However, in a year like this, where it’s been very tricky for the team and we’ve went through very difficult times, it will be still a satisfaction to get that P2. So, yeah, I’ll still do absolutely everything to get it.
“But the Constructors’ [championship] is more important.”
