Charles Leclerc Comments on Ferrari’s Pace and Hails Fernando Alonso After Their ‘Close’ Battle For Third in Baku

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has opened up on his battle with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso after an exciting Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Monegasque finished just slightly ahead of the Spaniard in third after losing out to the two mighty Red Bulls early in the race.

Speaking of his battle with Alonso, Leclerc said in his post-race interview, “Fernando was pushing. I knew what his intentions were at the beginning. In the end, it was close but not enough for Fernando today.” The 25-year-old eventually edged out the Aston Martin driver by less than a second to claim the final podium spot.

Charles Leclerc feels better about Ferrari’s pace after Azerbaijan GP

Charles Leclerc gave his thoughts about Ferrari’s pace after he finished way behind the two Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday. The 25-year-old said in his post-race interview that while there was some improvement, he believes that a lot of work still needs to be done.

 

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He explained his point by stating that Red Bull continue to be in a league of their own regarding race pace. The same was evident during the main race on Sunday as even though Leclerc started the race on the pole, he finished the race more than a whopping 20 seconds behind both race winner Perez and second-placed Verstappen.

Leclerc finally has a strong weekend after a disastrous start to the 2023 season

Charles Leclerc had a disastrous start to the 2023 season, as after the first three races, he had just scored six points. And now, just in one weekend, he has scored more than twice the points he scored in the first three races.

As a result of his second-place finish in the sprint, followed by a third-place finish in the main race on Sunday, Leclerc now has scored a total of 21 points in the championship. Consequently, he has moved to eighth place and is just nine points behind his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

The Monegasque will now hope to carry on this improved form to the next race in Miami. The race at the Miami International Autodrome will occur from May 5 to 7.