Leclerc: “99% chance that we will be in more difficulty than last year”

Recent comments from Mattia Binotto on the aerodynamic characteristics of Maranello's latest single-seater did not fail to plunge into the torment of the legions of fans who have been desperately waiting for a world title since 2008. 

The main Italian team in fact recognized, even before the season kicked off in Austria this weekend (July 3-5), that the results recorded in the wind tunnel did not translate onto the track. The decision was therefore made to introduce a major new aerodynamic concept, which will only be available in Hungary in two weeks (July 17-19). Too late to play the title?

« After the winter tests, we knew that we were not at the level where we would have liked to evolve, especially in terms of pace on a flying lap in qualifying., commented Charles Leclerc since Red Bull ring.

And then everything came to a halt due to the Coronavirus. We reviewed the data again and decided to take a step back to try to understand and identify the origin of the problems. 

There are still questions left and we will have to wait until qualifying to find out for sure but there is a 99% chance that we will be in more difficulty than last year ». 

At his side (but not too close, Covid-19 protocol requires), his teammate Sebastian Vettel was less alarmist. Or more fatalistic; difficult to read emotions on a face when it is masked.

« After the Barcelona tests, it seemed obvious to us that we were not in the game, declared the German, who will leave the Team at the end of the year. We were eager to see in Australia whether our doubts were justified or not. This is still the case here in a way.

There are still a lot of unknowns this season, we don't even know the exact number of races. We will always try to do our best and bring developments as quickly as possible. The guys at the factory work hard.

There just wasn't enough time to get the new package here. The timing has been very tight since the reopening of the But the Hungarian Grand Prix takes place in two short weeks ». 

It is rare for a top team to admit so early that it has gone astray in its development. So a gigantic bluff or crisis communication to defuse the situation in advance? First answers on Friday with free practice.