Baku and Singapore could be good for Ferrari, says Charles Leclerc
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Ferrari's Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after winning the Italian Grand Prix.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MONZA – Ferrari are still behind McLaren on pace but Charles Leclerc believes that the next two Formula One races in Azerbaijan and Singapore could be good for the team after their Italian Grand Prix victory on Sept 1.
He won at Monza in front of Ferrari’s home fans with a bold one-stop strategy, after McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (second) and Lando Norris (third) pitted twice.
That was the Italian team’s first win since Leclerc, 26, triumphed at home in Monaco in May, and third of the season.
Ferrari took the most points (Carlos Sainz was fourth), 37 compared to McLaren’s 34 and Mercedes’ 16, and are now only 39 behind fading leaders Red Bull, who are eight ahead of McLaren.
“I still think McLaren are the favourites but we have done a step forward that’s for sure and Baku is a pretty nice track for me,” Leclerc said, looking ahead to the Azerbaijan race on Sept 15.
“I quite like this track and I’ve been quite competitive in the past, so who knows, maybe we can achieve something special again there.”
The Monaco driver finished third in Baku last season.
Ferrari brought a special wing to super-fast Monza as well as an upgrade package, which also helped close the gap.
But Leclerc was only fourth on the starting grid, with teammate Sainz fifth, so to finish top of the podium and fourth gave the team plenty of reasons for optimism and confidence looking ahead.
Sainz triumphed in Singapore last season, the only race that champions Red Bull failed to win. The Spaniard had won in Australia in March and will be hoping to repeat his triumph at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Sept 22.
“I don’t think it’s enough to be the car to beat for the rest of the season on other tracks,” added Leclerc of the upgrade, playing down expectations.
“Before this (Monza) race, I don’t think I was seeing myself challenging for wins anywhere else. But maybe Singapore. Singapore maybe could be a strong track for us.
“On the other tracks, I still feel like we are a step behind McLaren and Red Bull. But we’ve seen that we can be very on a par with McLaren if we do everything perfect.
”Have we done a step forward? Yes. Is it enough to go and win races until the end of the season? I don’t think so yet, but we did a good step in the right direction.” REUTERS
