Charles Leclerc is preparing for a tough end to the Formula 1 season as he sees the Ferrari drivers as ‘passengers’ in the current car.
Ferrari narrowly missed out on the Constructors’ Championship at the final round of the season last year, but were unable to build on that form. Ferrari is currently third in the standings and is the only team from the top four that has not yet won a Grand Prix this year. Leclerc says his sixth-place finish in the Singapore Grand Prix is likely to be the type of result that will last into the final six rounds.
“Unfortunately we don’t have the race car to fight with the guys at the front,” said Leclerc. “McLaren always had the same gap on us compared to the beginning of the year. Red Bull took a step compared to Monza and the same level of McLaren. Mercedes is now at the same level of McLaren and Red Bull, and then there is us.”
“Of course it’s not easy because you want to fight for better positions. But at the moment it just feels like we’re kind of passengers in the car and we can’t get much more out of it.
“I don’t think there will be anything special. The picture we have seen will be what the rest of the season looks like for us.”
With Ferrari just eight points ahead of fourth-placed Red Bull in the standings, Leclerc admits the drop in competitiveness compared to last year is difficult to deal with, but insists he is using that as a driving force to try to improve things in the future.
“I wouldn’t describe it as the most difficult thing. I think anytime you’re not fighting for wins, it’s difficult. But obviously it comes from a year like last year, where you’re fighting for the Constructors’ World Championship, and then… you have to lower your expectations from the start, and you don’t even see progress throughout the year. It’s not easy.”
“It takes a lot of energy, but that doesn’t demotivate me. In any case, it motivates me much more to try to turn the situation around. But it is very tough, especially after a race like [Singapore]where you don’t even fight for a podium, you have to solve a lot of problems. It’s just not a nice feeling.”
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