F1 News: Charles Leclerc Optimistic - "The Rate Of Development Will Be Better"
In a recent exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated's Alex Harrington, Charles Leclerc reflected on the developments of the Ferrari SF24. He highlighted significant improvements from the previous year, setting a hopeful tone for the upcoming season.
Key Takeaways:
- Leclerc notes an enhanced starting position for the SF24 compared to last year, with initial expectations being met.
- The team has identified and addressed past issues, allowing a focused development of the car moving forward.
- Challenges with the braking system in Bahrain are under scrutiny, with resolutions being a top priority.
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Charles Leclerc's conversation revealed a promising start for Ferrari's SF24, a stark contrast to the team's struggles at the same point last year. The Monegasque driver detailed the initial setbacks encountered with the previous model, where unexpected performance issues led to a delayed development cycle. However, this year paints a different picture, with the SF24 meeting the team's expectations right from the outset.
Leclerc's optimism stems from the car's current reliability and performance, aligning closely with pre-season objectives. This solid foundation enables the team to dedicate their efforts towards enhancing the car's capabilities, a luxury they couldn't afford last year due to unforeseen challenges.
"I think first of all we are in a better place compared to last compared to a year ago, where a year ago we put the car on the ground and the car wasn't behaving the way we expected it to behave.
So it was a bit difficult to understand from where the problem was starting, and we have identified that later in the [2023] season. And from that moment onwards, we could focus on the development of the car as soon as we understood what was wrong with this car. Whereas this year, there's nothing that is wrong with the car."
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Despite the encouraging start, Leclerc acknowledged ongoing issues, particularly with the braking system experienced during tests in Bahrain. The team is actively investigating these problems, ensuring they are rectified promptly to avoid compromising their competitive edge.
"At least it's doing everything that that we expected, which is a good starting point. And we can straight away focus on the development of the car, which gives me confidence that the rate of development will be better compared to last year, so that's that's good.
"Yeah, we've had some problems on the braking system on my side in in Bahrain, which are still being investigated. We'll look into it. And obviously this is a priority to work to resolve."
Leclerc's confidence in the car's current state and the team's capacity to address issues suggests a promising season ahead for Ferrari. With the first two races of the 2024 season behind us, Ferrari is currently the closest contender to threaten Red Bull's ongoing dominance.
Thank you to Shell for setting up this interview.
Shell Motorsport has been a partner of Ferrari since the late '20s. Their strong alliance has helped build the success of the team, and Formula 1 as a sport.