Charles Leclerc recently reflected on the 2023 F1 season and revealed the moment he understood that the year wouldn’t be a great one for Ferrari. Even though there were lots of hopes on his team, the Monegasque driver instantly knew that they would fail to live up to them. This has come after Carlos Sainz shared positive feedback about the SF-23.
Leclerc, told Auto Motor und Sport, “It was clear to me straight after the winter tests. Carlos drove the first morning in almost no wind and he was quite happy. I got in the car in the afternoon and the wind picked up. The car suddenly became extremely difficult to drive.”
As projected by the Monegasque driver, his suspicion came to life after he failed to see success in 2023 unlike last year. Even though Ferrari failed to win any titles that year, they still took multiple wins that year with Leclerc taking three race wins.
On the other hand, Sainz also struggled throughout the year but his Singapore GP win overshadowed his stale year. Apart from the win, he was able to take only two podiums. Nevertheless, Ferrari and Leclerc, who recently renewed his contract, saw significant improvements in Japan and he was content with his performance from there on.
How did Japan prove to be instrumental for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari?
The 2023 Japanese Grand Prix saw Ferrari improve after they upgraded the floor of his SF-23. The upgraded subfloor of the car helped the Monegasque to push to maximum and extract optimal performance from the car.
Admittedly, the front axle of the challenger worked better for him due to the improvement. However, there was still scope to develop as the Suzuka race saw the 26-year-old qualify in P4 and finish the race in the same position.
After Japan, Leclerc had better outings in most of the races. Except for Brazil, he finished all the races in the top five. Notably, he finished in P3 in Austin [keeping out disqualification] and Mexico City whereas he finished P2 in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
As things stand, Ferrari are working to improve their straight-line speed and race pace. This is primarily because one-lap pace is no longer a highlight coming into 2024. Charles Leclerc and his needs to step up their game as pole position will not work anymore.
