Ferrari Eyes Strong Finish in Vegas, Faces Qatar Struggles

Charles Leclerc outlines Ferrari’s outlook for season’s end, hoping for strength in Las Vegas but wary of challenges ahead in Qatar.

Thirty-six points—this is the gap separating Ferrari from McLaren F1 in the Constructors’ Championship following the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Everything remains open for the world title, though McLaren F1 has regained a slight advantage in Interlagos.

Ferrari’s objective must be to beat McLaren F1, but this won’t be easy. Some circuits (especially Qatar and perhaps Yas Marina) are likely to better suit the orange car.

Even for Las Vegas, the next GP, optimism is not exactly prevailing at Maranello.

“For Las Vegas, I have mixed feelings,” confirms Charles Leclerc.

“We were very strong there last year. I think our car aligns well with the characteristics of our circuit.”

The Ferrari driver is wary, however, of the temperatures, which are expected to be very cold again in Las Vegas. Heating up the Pirellis will be a crucial challenge, especially in qualifying.

While Ferrari’s superior traction should be a clear advantage for the Scuderia in Las Vegas, Interlagos raises concerns about tire warm-up as well: under rain and cooler temperatures in Brazil, Ferrari struggled to get the tires working. Leclerc is fully aware…

“With the tires, it might be a bit harder for us to bring them to the right temperature. But let’s say I’m more optimistic than pessimistic, and I still believe we can perform really well in Las Vegas.”

“Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi are the two races where I think we can do well.”

“We’ve made great progress with tire management, but we didn’t handle cold conditions perfectly, as we saw in Interlagos. Las Vegas could resemble that scenario a bit.”

“So let’s hope we can work over these two weeks to prepare properly and be at a good level for Las Vegas.”

Ferrari falling behind in Qatar?

It’s mainly Qatar that’s raising concerns for the Monegasque driver… Bad news, too, as there’s a sprint this weekend, meaning more points on the line.

“Unfortunately, I think Qatar will be a bit tougher, and it’ll be more about damage limitation.”

“But there are still three races left, and I hope we can make the most of them and then beat McLaren.”

“We’ll be in the fight until the very end. We have three weekends ahead that will be crucial for the whole team, and now we need to refocus, regroup, and see how to tackle these last three races in the best possible way.”