Leclerc: Complicated for Ferrari to seek out Mercedes this season

Despite the pretty podium hung by Charles Leclerc in Austria last Sunday, the Team does not start the 2020 campaign on a thunderous basis. 

The SF1000 shows a clear performance deficit compared to its rivals Mercedes et Red Bull, and finds himself battling with the McLaren, Racing Point, and others Renault (without insulting the mid-grid warriors). 

The lack of competitiveness of the latest creation from the Maranello workshops is particularly glaring in qualifying where it returns a full second to the W11, including 0”7 on the engine front. 

If Ferrari managed to make most of the aerodynamic changes initially planned for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Leclerc recognizes that it will be complicated to compete with the Silver Arrows, which have become black, this season. 

« The team made a huge effort to bring developments this weekend, confided the Monegasque during a videoconference with the French media present in Austria ahead of the Styrian Grand Prix. It's a whole bunch of little things that put together should allow us to gain a few precious tenths. 

I don't think we can go for the Mercedes by the end of the year but we will give everything to get closer to the Red Bulls and get ahead of the McLarens, Racing Point, and Renault.

It's a unique opportunity to be able to do two races in a row in the same place. We will be able to directly compare our different aerodynamic configurations ». 

• Back off

While waiting to see if the new Italian innovations will bear fruit, Leclerc was already satisfied with his pace in the race as well as the strategic acuity displayed by the Scuderia last weekend. An area where Ferrari has sometimes failed in the past. 

« The team made a very good choice by stopping me again at the end of the race to put on new tires., rewound the 22-year-old. This allowed me to make significant overtakes.

Personally, I am happy with my performance, especially my tire management during the race. This was one of my weaknesses last year. GP simulations were already encouraging during winter testing. 

Last week's result galvanized the team. We didn't expect to be this far in qualifying but managing to get a 2nd place shows that with hard work anything is possible ». 

In a shortened and uncertain situation, who knows if Leclerc and Ferrari will not be able to do well?