Charles Leclerc left Monaco, once again with a bad taste in his mouth and without a podium. The qualification – with the next penalty – has precluded the Monegasque from any possibility of glory, regardless of the strategies on which something still needs to be refined. In Barcelona, however, Ferrari can finally move on. All the attention to Montmelò is in fact directed to the updates that the team had planned for the Imola Grand Prix, canceled due to the emergency in Emilia-Romagna, and which were postponed until the Spanish Grand Prix, the "home" event disputed between the two Spaniards Sainz and Alonso who will try to undermine Verstappen and Red Bull.
The questions addressed to Charles during the usual interviews preceding the weekend have the long-awaited updates as their key topic. Topic on which the team principal, Vasseur, also expressed his opinion.
Leclerc: "We don't expect a miracle"
Charles had complained so much over the course of the weekend. The SF-23 was difficult to steer, and on a track like Monte-Carlo, this factor leads you to be more conservative, to avoid hitting the wall. The Monegasque didn't succeed in the magic he has accustomed us to with his quick laps. Furthermore, on Saturday, after qualifying, the penalty also arrived, while on Sunday there were problems with consistency. What Ferrari must do is work on these aspects.
On updates Leclerc agrees with Vasseur: “We don't expect a miracle, we will not go from XNUMXth to XNUMXst with this update, but it is a small step in the right direction. Our car is very peaky: in qualifying, when everything works, with new tyres, it's ok, but when we go outside this window, we lose downforce and consistency. We are working on this to improve the car.”
One step forward after taking a bigger one back, compared to last year. "The expectations were to fight for the world championship after 2022, but the start of the season was disappointingBut I don't think there's a need to start all over again.” Updates will not be"Nothing revolutionary, but they look good, even if these are updates that can give more advantages on the track than in the simulator, because they concern driveability and there are many more variations on the track than in the simulator".
Free practice will therefore be essential.
Good job of the team in Monaco
As far as the team's work is concerned, Charles seemed quite satisfied, although there is still something to sort out, such as the calls from his pit wall. On Saturday, the late announcement of Norris' arrival on the lap into Q3 put Charles in an ugly and dangerous situation. Despite this, the team's strategies have not been the subject of scandal, as in the last edition.
"A mistake was made on Saturday which we have reviewed and we are working to make sure it doesn't happen again, but race management from my side of the garage was very good, with no mistakes. Last year the strategy was our problem, but this year it went better, even if in some weekends it was a little worse than normal, but I'm happy with how things are going this year”.
Leclerc, Monaco kit up for auction
Only the track will be able to give us the definitive answer on the updates and on the fate of Ferrari, which hopes to be able to get closer to Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin and the two Red Bulls.
In the meantime, the Monegasque has dedicated himself to Charity with an initiative, supported by the famous auction house Sotheby's, to raise funds for Emilia-Romagna, affected by the flood. Several pilots have decided to take action, some have organized live online tournaments. There are those who have really put their hands in the mud like tsunoda. Everyone wants to help, even Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who, after the weekend in Monte-Carlo, decided to auction off the official race kit – helmet, overalls, gloves, shoes, used precisely in the Monaco Grand Prix. A particular kit, considering the exclusive design that has been granted to the pilot, in white. The intention is to collect as much as possible to help a Region, a population in need of help.
Source Statements: Formula1a.one
