Charles Leclerc admits his ambitions with Ferrari this season transcend just a few wins however concedes that the true potential of the Scuderia will solely be revealed after the primary race.
Whereas occasional victories have punctuated his journey in F1, the Monegasque driver yearns for a season the place Ferrari is really within the title hunt.
In 2022, the primary 12 months of the game’s floor impact guidelines, Ferrari hit the bottom working solely to see its title aspirations crumble on account of technique blunders and automobile points.
Final season, the Italian outfit was hindered by a troubled automobile idea that left Leclerc winless whereas teammate Carlos Sainz secured in Singapore the crew’s solely win and the one non-Pink Bull victory of the 12 months.
Unveiled earlier this week, Ferrari’s new SF-24 goals to bridge the efficiency hole with the mighty bulls. The crew’s ambition is obvious: to return to common race-winning type.
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Nevertheless, when requested if he can be happy with two or three wins as a part of his crew’s progress, Leclerc’s response was determined.
“No, it’s not sufficient,” he quipped. “I need to win as many races as attainable, and we’ll do the depend on the finish of the 12 months, to additionally perceive the place we’ll be after the primary race to know how aggressive are.
“It’s very troublesome to attract an image of the place we’ll stand after the primary race, it’ll rely on that as properly, however two or three is just not my goal, I need to win as many races as attainable.
“2023 for me was no victories, I can’t wait to be again on the highest step of the rostrum and along with Ferrari, particularly. So I’m totally motivated.”
©Ferrari
Whereas Leclerc acknowledges the issue of closing the hole completely on Pink Bull in 2024, he is drawing important encouragement from Ferrari’s confirmed capability to adapt and battle again from adversity.
The crew’s mid-season resurgence final 12 months highlighted the Scuderia’s grit and the potential to problem for the highest spot.However the query stays: can they maintain this momentum and eventually overcome Pink Bull’s dominance?
Solely time will inform, however Ferrari’s preventing spirit and Leclerc’s steadfast perception recommend an thrilling season forward for the Scuderia.
“I believe 2023, as a lot because it was a disappointing season as a complete, as a result of we weren’t preventing for the positions we needed to battle, I believe it’s been an excellent response from the crew because the first race, when it was a disappointing consequence,” Leclerc famous.
“However particularly the second a part of the season has been actually good, the momentum of the crew and the instructions we took and the totally different choices that we took within the second half of the season had been all actually good and introduced us to get obtained nearer and nearer, in a short time, to Pink Bull.
“Our purpose is certainly to start out on the robust foundation that we began on final 12 months after which have the same development to place Pink Bull underneath stress as quickly as attainable in the course of the season.
“To let you know whether or not it’s sufficient now to place them underneath stress from the primary race onwards is inconceivable for me to let you know.
“However one factor is certain is that we’ve labored actually, very well within the second half of the 12 months, that our instructions had been clearly given and now we have to see within the first race the place we discover ourselves.”
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