Charles Leclerc states Ferrari's “on the back foot" in comparison to Mercedes in Australia
- Caitlyn Gordon
- 5h
- 3 min read
After topping the morning session, Charles Leclerc believes Mercedes is "very, very strong" and reveals they are "a bit more front than I would've wanted."
Ferrari left pre-season testing on a high, with new technical innovations, including its inverted rear-wing and blown winglet, catching eyes. During the test, Lewis Hamilton's practice starting procedure turned heads, as the SF-26 launched off from the midfield, passing each opponent with ease. Charles Leclerc rounded out the test for the team, topping the timing sheets in Bahrain with a 1:31.992.
The team carried the momentum into Melbourne, where the pair topped the opening practice session of the season. Heading into the second session, they both remained consistently within the top five. However, Leclerc is remaining wary, especially with Mercedes. The Brackley-based outfit stole the headlines in the Barcelona shakedown as the team dominated. Their strong performance continued in Bahrain with both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell topping the timing sheets.
Speaking to the media after the promising session for Ferrari, Leclerc pointed out the positives but stated that Ferrari seems to be “on the back foot” as Mercedes are “very, very strong”:
“FP1 looked positive, but then FP2 I think the teams are showing little by little a bit more,”
“Unfortunately, we seem to be on the back foot, especially compared to Mercedes, who seem to be very, very strong.
“I don’t think they showed everything in low fuel, but on high fuel it was very impressive. That’s a bit of a… It’s the first time probably that we see how much [of a gap] there is to them, and it’s a bit more than I would have liked. It’s the way it is.
“On the other side, it’s been quite a positive start to the weekend, and we’ll keep working very hard in order to try and maximise everything for tomorrow.”
“There are quite a few priorities and things that… I just need to put the car back to where it should be. I tried something in FP2 and it felt really, really strange and quite bad.
“It’s okay. We are still in the learning process of this car. I think we had very good testing, so we know more or less where to put it. For FP2 I went a bit too aggressive in one direction and it didn’t pay off, but it was a good test.
“Then for the rest of the weekend, it’s all about putting everything together. In Qualifying I have the feeling that it can be quite close, in the race it seems that Mercedes has quite a bit of performance coming, but we’ll see.”
Leclerc was questioned about his confidence in Australia and if Ferrari could find themselves in the mix over the weekend. The Monogasque driver reaffirmed his opinion on Mercedes’ strength, but remains hopeful:
“I wouldn’t say confident, because I don’t know,”
“I don’t know much margin Mercedes still has, so it’s a bit early to say. But I would say they are a bit more in front than what I would have wanted for now.
“We’ll work hard during the night. Again, I think this year is going to be about development throughout the year, so wherever we start on Sunday and wherever we finish on Sunday, it’s only a starting point, we’ll have to build on that to try and catch up. If we win on Sunday, then amazing!”
Qualifying for the season opener takes place at 16:00 track time, will Mercedes reveal the true extent of its power and grab pole or will someone else surprise on the streets of Melbourne?
