Charles Leclerc: “We are not there yet”

It is not a feeling of ease that prevails at the end of these two weeks of testing. What are your difficulties?

A lot of work awaits us, but I don't think we should talk about difficulties. We have changed our approach to winter testing compared to last year; which means that we focus on ourselves without trying to compare ourselves to our opponents. We'll see where we really are in Australia.

Do you share the concerns of your director Mattia Binotto who sees Ferrari behind at the start of the season?

Mercedes has clearly been the benchmark for several years already, and as there have not been any huge technical changes compared to last year, they are fast. As far as we are concerned, we found things during these six days that allowed us to learn. We concentrate on our work without getting distracted. I have no concerns about our ability to catch up.

We are a little behind Mercedes and Red Bull, but we keep our heads on the handlebars. Sector 3 is the one where there are the most turns and we are much better there than last year. The aim was to restore downforce to the car and that is what we managed to do. In terms of balance, we are not there yet. We've tested several things, and I'm starting to have a good idea of ​​which one we should find. This is what we have been working on in preparation for Melbourne.

We are therefore far from the disaster that some are starting to predict...

You should not listen to everything that is said. We work, that's all.

Your teammate speaks of a car that is actually faster in corners, but slowed down in a straight line by too much drag. Could the engine also have its share of responsibility?

Always difficult for the driver to guess whether it comes from the engine or the drag, but as we have significantly gained in downforce, it is the drag which is the problem. Now that we have the support we lacked, we need to work on the overall performance of the car. We must unleash performance.

What are the qualities and defects of the car?

Its strength is its speed of passage through curves, and the point that we still have to work on is its balance. We need to find more homogeneity between the entry and exit of the turn. We lost a bit of top speed, but that was expected.

Can we talk about Melbourne as a leap into the unknown?

Last year we were confident we knew where we were before the first race, and once we got there it was a completely different story. I don't really know where we stand, but we will know more at the end of qualifying with everyone carrying the same weight of fuel. That's when we'll know what we're missing.

Aren't you afraid that the additional development that the SF1000 will undoubtedly require will encroach on the important work that 2021 will require?

Not everything will have to be thrown away! Even if the car 2021 will be totally different, everything we learn about the correlation between the track and our simulator will, on the other hand, be of the greatest importance.

The 2021 single-seaters will be less efficient. Disturbing?

In an ideal world, I would like us to keep these 2020 cars for qualifying and have the 2021 cars for the race. This is obviously not possible, and it seems to be a good compromise that has been found. We need more fight on track, and therefore cars capable of following each other closely. That will clearly not be the case this year. For a few seasons, we will undoubtedly be slower but, knowing the sport and the skill level of the engineers, we will eventually recover the lost time. I am completely in agreement with the direction that has been taken for 2021 and beyond.

This year, you benefit from “n°1 bis” pilot status alongside Sebastian Vettel. What's the difference ?

Not much, except that it's more pleasant to start a season with the same status as your teammate. It gives me more opportunities that I must seize quickly, because we will take stock after a few Grands Prix. At that moment, you will have to be in front of him and, in this, the approach does not change.

And does the pandemic that threatens the planet change the approach?

I leave it to the FIA, the FOM and the teams to determine that. They will assess the situation, but safety must be the most important point. It is more important than the race.