Leclerc: 'Pretty sure we'll be in a better place this weekend'
F1 News
Charles Leclerc had to make do with fifth place in last year's Canadian Grand Prix after an engine change and associated grid penalty forced him to start from the back of the grid. Is a podium finish possible at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve? Leclerc talks about Ferrari' s options next weekend in the press conference.
The Ferrari driver began by looking back at the previous race in Spain: "Yes, it was a very difficult weekend for me especially. On this track, we don't have anything new so I don't think we'll have any miracles but we need to just try and optimise our package, understand this package more, the way we should set up the car in order to maximise it. In Spain, we were quite easily out of the window and then we were losing quite a lot of performance so we've learnt a lot."
Leclerc expects improvement in Canada
Leclerc's emphasis is on improvement: "I'm pretty sure we'll be in a better place for this weekend but I don't think it will be a huge step forward." Looking back to last year's race, in which the Monegasque drove from the back of the field to P5, Leclerc says: "Well, last year we were in a very different situation. We expect Aston Martin to be very strong this weekend."
Of course, there is fear for Red Bull Racing: "We expect Red Bull to be very strong this weekend, and we struggle to understand exactly where Mercedes will be compared to us. But again, we have to focus on ourselves, try to maximise our package. It's a very challenging track with the weather also we don't really know which side it's going to go. So we'll just focus on ourselves and see what can be done."
Ferrari gropes in the dark
Whether Ferrari will move forward in intermediate standings this year is unclear. Leclerc: "Overall, I think all the team is not satisfied with the performance we are showing at the moment on the track. It's very far off our expectations at the beginning of the season. We are very clear with ourselves, and it's very clear for us. Then qualifying in Barcelona was a very particular one. I think I wasn't the only one to struggle."
The team is still completely in the dark, according to Leclerc's speech. Ferrari is neither where it wants to be nor where it needs to be. Ideas to get out of its problems do not seem to be there yet either. In any case, updates remain out in Canada. "Which is our aim now, to try and close the gap with the guys in front. And also close the gap, especially in terms of race pace. I struggled a lot in qualifying on Saturday, the Sunday wasn't great either."