Charles Leclerc admits IMPOSSIBLE Ferrari concern after mixed Canada weekend

Leclerc in aanloop naar race in Canada — Photo: © LAT Images

Charles Leclerc

Leclerc admits IMPOSSIBLE Ferrari concern after mixed Canada weekend

Charles Leclerc gave his all for Ferrari during the Canadian Grand Prix

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Monday 19 June 2023 14:57

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Charles Leclerc has insisted that Ferrari couldn't have finished any higher than the fourth and fifth place finishes that both himself and Carlos Sainz managed respectively.

Following a three-place grid penalty to Sainz for impeding Pierre Gasly during qualifying, the Ferrari pair would find themselves starting the race in 10th and 11th.

After a recent run of poor race strategy, bad luck and missed chances, it would have been a huge relief for the team to see Leclerc and Sainz battle their way through the field to finish just outside the podium places.

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And despite admitting that significant steps were taken in the right direction during the race in Montreal, Leclerc believes that Ferrari had reached their ceiling in Canada given their starting grid position.

Leclerc: 'We couldn't have done better'

Charles Leclerc finished just outside of the podium places during the Canadian Grand Prix

“It was a solid race that confirmed the good feeling I had in the car on Friday," he said.

"We stayed out during the safety car phase to be able to run in free air, because we knew that it would be key for us and our strategy proved to be the right one.

"We couldn’t have done better than P4 today considering where we started. We must not forget that this is quite an unusual track, so we will keep pushing to reconfirm these positive steps in Austria.”

Ferrari have now gained ground on Mercedes in the constructors' standings following George Russell''s retirement. However, they still find themselves 45 points adrift of the Silver Arrows.

Individually, Leclerc sits seventh in the driver standings, with team-mate Sainz 14 points ahead of him in fifth.