Heading into the F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Charles Leclerc has opened up about his expectations for the race weekend and whether Ferrari can better optimise their upgrade package in Jeddah.
The Monégasque driver managed to set the third-fastest lap time in qualifying last Saturday as the new upgrades introduced by the Scuderia in Bahrain increased the downforce generated by a marginal amount and improved the overall balance of the car.
Leclerc lined up in second on Sunday’s grid following the one-place grid drop that George Russell received. Although the ill-timed Safety Car spoiled any hopes for a podium, he showed decent pace throughout the race and took the chequered flag in P4.
Podium possible in Jeddah if Leclerc finds more performance with his distinct set-up direction
Speaking in a print media session ahead of the F1 Saudi Arabian GP on Thursday, Charles Leclerc contemplated whether a podium finish is on the cards in Jeddah. Reflecting on how he would’ve made it to the podium at Sakhir without the inconvenient Safety Car, he stated that Ferrari are heading in the right direction.
Leclerc also touched on the distinct set-up choices he opted for in the past few race weekends and remarked that he is optimistic about scoring their first podium of the season in Saudi Arabia if he continues making further gains by following that direction.
“Yes, I honestly think that the podium was possible in Bahrain without the Safety Car. But it’s the way it is; that’s how racing goes sometimes.
“I think we are doing steps in the right direction. Whether a podium is going to be this weekend or later on, I don’t know, but I think we’ve got our chances.
“We’ve been taking slightly different directions in the last few races, which I particularly like, and if we keep finding gains by going in that direction, I hope we can score our first podium.
“But my hope is a bit more than that. I mean, a podium is not something that I particularly enjoy targeting for. So yeah, a win would be amazing.”
Leclerc places Ferrari behind McLaren and Mercedes in the pecking order
With regard to how close the Italian team is to the championship leaders and where they exactly stand in the pecking order right now, Charles Leclerc surmised that they have a deficit of around two to three tenths in comparison to McLaren. Emphasising Red Bull’s inconsistency so far, he also placed Mercedes slightly ahead of Ferrari in terms of relative performance.
“I think we are three tenths off, two to three tenths off.
“Similar to Mercedes; maybe Mercedes slightly ahead. And Red Bull has been a bit more inconsistent this year, so it’s a bit more difficult to have a clear picture of them. But yeah, I think two to three tenths off McLaren.”
Further potential of the upgrades to be seen in Jeddah with better overall grip
The Monégasque driver has previously claimed that the Bahrain International Circuit wasn’t the ideal venue to observe the upgrades’ true potential.
Asked if he is confident about extracting more from the package at the F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Charles Leclerc revealed that the data from their simulator matched their on-track performance in Bahrain last week.
Stating that Ferrari are keen to confirm the numbers on a second track, the eight-time race winner admitted that he expects the SF-25 to fare better on the high-speed Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
“It should be. I think for the layout of the track, I think we should be doing a bit of a step forward, a bit more of a step forward than we did in Bahrain, which is positive, but we obviously still have to confirm that.
“But I think the numbers that we were expecting from this upgrade in Bahrain were the ones that we saw, and yeah, considering that is the case, I think we will benefit a little bit more on a track like this [Jeddah].”
In terms of how much the corner balance and, in particular, the transition of balance from corner entry to exit have improved, Leclerc clarified that they haven’t made any significant improvement in that regard. However, he explained that they have taken a step forward in respect of overall grip and that they should be able to extract more lap time in corner phases on a track like Jeddah.
“I don’t think it’s where we improved the most. I think overall grip has been a big improvement and in specific corners, corner phases especially, we should gain from a bit more on a track like this. But in terms of through corner balance, I don’t think it was a very significant change.”
Leclerc reiterates his love for challenging city tracks like Jeddah
Asked if visibility is still a concern in Jeddah after the slew of modifications that have been made in recent years, Charles Leclerc reiterated his love for street circuits and added that he revels in the challenge.
While he acknowledged that certain changes have contributed to drivers’ safety, the Ferrari driver nonetheless labelled the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as one of the most dangerous tracks on the calendar.
Furthermore, emphasising that the F1 Saudi Arabian GP rewards bravery, especially over a single lap, Leclerc commented that he appreciates when a driver can make a difference on track.
“It’s one of my favourite tracks of the season. I always loved city tracks in general. It’s always a challenge that I have enjoyed and especially with the high speed it’s really, really cool.
“There’s been some changes that I think have made it [Jeddah Circuit] better. It’s still, if you’ve got to rank the track in terms of dangerousness, of course it’s one of those that is a very, very challenging track as a driver and the bravery on the fast lap can make a difference. But this is a challenge I like.”
