Charles Leclerc made no attempt to sugarcoat Ferrari’s recent showing at the Belgian Grand Prix, bluntly calling it “worse than expected.”
Ferrari hoped to be Red Bull’s closest rival this season. However, the upgrades introduced at Barcelona didn’t work as planned, causing Ferrari to fall behind McLaren and Mercedes.
Leclerc grabbed pole position due to Max Verstappen’s grid penalty and started strong, leading the opening laps. However, as the race progressed, he was overtaken by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. Then, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and a clever one-stop strategy from George Russell further pushed him down the order.
Reflecting on the race, Leclerc stated, “It’s very simple what happened – we were just not fast enough. McLaren and Red Bull were expected. Mercedes was faster than expected.”
Leclerc’s frustration was evident as he explained how his team couldn’t keep up with Mercedes on a “normal, dry track.” He added, “Fourth was the best we hoped for today.” Leclerc was pleased to keep Max Verstappen and Lando Norris behind him, but he could not see the race as a positive overall.
When asked if his long stint in podium places was a silver lining, Leclerc replied, “No, because if it was a Red Bull in front then I think it would have been a positive weekend. But now it was a Mercedes, which we thought we were on par with.”
Teammate Carlos Sainz shared similar sentiments, highlighting that Ferrari had not improved compared to its rivals. Sainz said, “When you see the pace of Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren in the race, I don’t think so. I think there are still two or three tenths difference.”
Leclerc mentioned the ongoing struggle with the SF-24’s bouncing issue that has been problematic since Barcelona, noting, “There was more bouncing at the end of the race, so more we were pushing in the high speed, obviously more struggles we have with it.” Nevertheless, he added that it “wasn’t crazy.”
Ferrari’s performance at Spa was disappointing for both drivers, underlining the challenges they face in the competitive landscape of Formula 1. Leclerc’s candid reflections highlight the team’s urgent need for improvement.
