Charles Leclerc

Leclerc admits Ferrari FEARS over Red Bull amid unexpected surprises

The Monegasque driver believes it will be difficult to catch them, but he remains optimistic

Luis Raya

Friday 25 August 2023 15:57

Charles Leclerc has spoken about the significant gap that Red Bull holds over the rest of the teams, especially in race pace, but he remains confident that upgrades can bring them closer.

The Monegasque driver has secured three podiums before the summer break and is currently fifth in the championship, tied on points with George Russell. Up until the rise of McLaren, Ferrari has been behind Red Bull, Alonso's Aston Martin, and Mercedes, with a car that lacked race pace in some rounds.

Nevertheless, the midfield battle has remained very close, and the teams' performances have varied significantly depending on the characteristics of each circuit, except for Red Bull, which continues to maintain a substantial lead over the rest.

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This has been particularly evident in races, where Verstappen has secured victories with leads of over 20 seconds, as in qualifying, rivals have often been very close, a fact highlighted by Leclerc.

Leclerc is currently fifth in the constructors' championship, tied on points with George Russell

"We are trying to work towards catching Red Bull but it's a big margin. It's going to be very difficult to catch them before the change of regulations," said Leclerc, speaking to Sky Sports.

"It's different than in the past. In qualifying, we are much closer than what we have seen in the past. Normally, when we see a team dominating, it was in qualifying and the race.

"With Red Bull now, it's much more in the race than qualifying - the gaps are bigger in the race compared to qualifying. That's why we are all working towards our race pace because Red Bull is so far ahead. There is a lot of work to do. We will have some development in the next few races that can help us do a step forward."

Leclerc expects unexpected surprises

With such a tight grid, the race for upgrades will be key in the second half of the season. This could lead to unexpected results, as we have already seen with McLaren, which which has gone from being one of the slowest teams to the second fastest in the last few races.

Leclerc hopes that something similar can happen with them and remains optimistic for the upcoming races.

"Also with this car, we can have some unexpected surprises because they are so sensitive and a small change can have a big difference. Hopefully, this is the case for us," he said.