Charles Leclerc celebrates a commanding win in Austin, keeping Ferrari’s hopes alive in the race for the Constructors’ Championship.
Charles Leclerc reflected on his victory yesterday at the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
The Ferrari driver clearly capitalized on the battle between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen at the start to slip through and break away in the lead. It was an ideal scenario for the Monegasque and his SF-24, which had already shown strong race pace during the Sprint the previous day.
So, how satisfying is this latest F1 victory?
“It’s really great because every victory is special for its own reason, and obviously, from the start, I felt very good with the car. I was quite confident after the Sprint, even though there was a lot of fighting; the car was performing well, and we knew we had good race pace. We were a bit more skeptical about qualifying, but the 4th position was fine. Then, after that start, when I came out of Turn 1 in first place, I knew it was all about trying to maximize the car’s pace and take care of the tires. The car handled well, so from that point on, it was a bit of a lonely race, but it’s the kind of solitude you enjoy. I hope we can replicate that in the future.”
Could he elaborate on Turn 1, the first lap, and his perspective?
“I knew Max and Lando would be very aggressive with each other. They’re fighting for the championship. I got a good start. I saw Max going to the inside along with Lando, and I thought, ‘I’ll just focus on my exit from the corner,’ which obviously turned out to be a winning move. From that moment, I was able to focus on my own race.”
We heard him talking during the race about plans A, B, and C. Was a one-stop strategy always the objective, or did he adjust based on the gap to Max?
“Yes, we adjusted the plan. However, at some point, like around lap 15 or 16, we had a pretty good gap. We had the freedom to just copy whatever Max did a lap later because it wasn’t like he could undercut us. So, when you’re in that situation, it’s much less stressful because you just have to mirror what the driver behind you is doing, and we had the gap to do that. It was more about replicating what everyone else was doing behind us rather than finding a different strategy at that point.”
“Ravin [Jain, the head of strategy] was on the podium with us. He’s incredible. I have a lot of trust in Ravin. He did an excellent job. He’s quite young for a role like that, but he’s always super, super calm. And that’s really essential. He also manages emotions very well, which might have been one of our weaknesses in the past when it came to strategy. That has changed a lot with Ravin. And again, he’s doing a very, very good job. I think we have a very strong team right now.”
Ferrari was fast all weekend and has significantly closed the gap in the Constructors’ Championship, not only with Red Bull Racing but also McLaren. What does he hope to achieve by the end of the season?
“I wish I could tell you exactly, but it’s always difficult because we rely on very small margins that can make a big difference. So, it’s really hard to predict where we’ll be in the upcoming races. However, we’ve been saying since Monza, Baku, and Singapore that we’ve brought some improvements, and we’ve been waiting for Austin as the real test for those upgrades. And they seem to be working well. Five or six races ago, we were struggling with bouncing, and that no longer seems to be an issue. So, that’s positive for the future. It doesn’t mean every Sunday will be like Austin, but it shows we’re working in the right direction, and that can only be a good thing. I hope we can replicate these kinds of results more often.”
What about the Constructors’ Championship? Ferrari is just eight points behind Red Bull and now 48 behind McLaren. Is something possible?
“We have to aim for the Constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic goal, but that’s what we’re here for. So yes, we’ll do the math at the end of the season. In the meantime, I think the best thing to do is focus on ourselves and our own performance, as we did this weekend. It was a very good weekend for the team and for the Constructors’ title. We’ll try to replicate that as often as possible, and hopefully, at the end of the year, when we tally up the points, we’ll have won the championship.”
He is 79 points behind Max Verstappen with five races remaining. That’s a lot, but with Max and Lando continuing to fight as they do, does he think there’s even a slim chance of winning the drivers’ championship?
“I mean, never say never. Let’s say that for the constructors’ championship, if we do everything perfectly until the end of the season, no matter what McLaren does, if we perform better than them, I think we can still clinch that title. As for the drivers’ title, I see it a bit differently. Even if we do everything perfectly, I feel like we’d need a bit of luck to have a shot at that title, and we can’t really rely on luck. So, the drivers’ title seems quite improbable, but again, I’ll believe in it until it’s mathematically impossible. But it’s more challenging.”
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Leclerc’s Victory Sparks Ferrari’s Championship Ambition Leclerc’s Victory Sparks Ferrari’s Championship Ambition
