Leclerc voices his dismay after finishing fourth in Belgium, troubled by Ferrari’s inability to match Mercedes’ speed.
Charles Leclerc did not conceal his disappointment at the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished in fourth place. While he might ascend to third if George Russell faces disqualification, the Ferrari driver is troubled by the gap to Mercedes F1.
“It wasn’t great! We thought we were on par with Mercedes today, and yet they displayed slightly more performance,” Leclerc stated. “McLaren and Red Bull were right where we expected, and we managed to keep them at bay towards the end which is positive. But with Mercedes securing a one-two finish, it’s not good news for us.”
“We’re disappointed, of course. We anticipated more graining on the hard tyres, but it never materialised. The hards were the best tyres today; we struggled more on the mediums. I would have liked to have performed better before the break, we did our best but the potential just wasn’t there.”
Carlos Sainz does not believe his team is back in contention for victories: “Considering the race pace of Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren, I don’t think so. I believe we’re still lacking two or three tenths. Even starting from pole with this car, we ended up fourth.”
“With my car, it felt like we were on the verge of stepping onto the podium, but as soon as everyone switched their tyres, you could see the pace everyone was running at. Even though I felt very competitive and fast in my last stint, when I was informed about the times of others, I realized I wasn’t as quick as I would have liked.”
The SF-24 showed more potential towards the end of the race, but this also brought challenges: “There were more twists towards the end, so the harder we pushed at high speed, the more problems we encountered. So, in the last stint, there was a bit more to give, but it wasn’t remarkable.”
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Ferrari’s Pace Lags Behind Mercedes at Spa Ferrari’s Pace Lags Behind Mercedes at Spa
