AUSTIN, Texas — This time final 12 months, Charles Leclerc stood in Ferrari’s hospitality area forward of the 2024 Formulation 1 United States Grand Prix and downplayed the workforce’s possibilities within the race forward. Ferrari was locked in a battle with McLaren for the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, however Leclerc was undecided an improve bundle would ship the outcomes they had been hoping for.
But on Sunday, he was on the highest step of the rostrum, with teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. alongside him, as Ferrari delivered a shocking entrance row lockout.
This 12 months, nevertheless, Leclerc stood in entrance of the media in Ferrari’s hospitality area and downplayed one thing else.
Rumors of a Ferrari exit.
With the workforce at the moment preventing with Mercedes for P2 within the championship — and trailing in that battle — rumors about Leclerc’s future have begun to swirl. His feedback after the Singapore Grand Prix reportedly rankled a few of the workforce’s engineers, in accordance with Italian media, and Leclerc’s supervisor even spoke of the necessity for a “successful automobile.”
But right here was Leclerc on Thursday, making it clear the place his coronary heart lies.
“What I can say is what I’ve all the time stated, and that’s very clear,” started Leclerc when requested in regards to the hypothesis. “I’ve all the time liked Ferrari a lot, and my solely obsession for the time being is to win in pink, whether or not it’s now or sooner or later, and I need to convey again Ferrari to the highest.”
Leclerc’s future shouldn’t be the one little bit of hypothesis in regards to the workforce in pink, as paddock chatter has linked former Purple Bull boss Christian Horner with a transfer to Maranello. In the course of the FIA Press Convention earlier within the day, Lewis Hamilton labeled that rumor as an “unhelpful distraction,” and Leclerc echoed that sentiment later within the afternoon.
“There are many speculations round me, however simply typically across the workforce for no matter purpose, I really feel like there are too many individuals talking issues and never coming from precise info, and it’s just a bit bit annoying,” began Leclerc.
”It’s all the time been like that, and I believe as a driver, however I believe as a workforce we’ve simply bought to concentrate on our issues, which is what we’re doing, however it’s simply not nice and never tremendous good to see all this stuff across the workforce on a regular basis.
”It’s positively not a state of affairs we need to be in, in a means that the efficiency shouldn’t be on the degree the place we need to be. However we’re all centered on attempting to show that state of affairs round, as I used to be saying, and each time there’s these conditions the place the outcomes usually are not there, then there are all the time these rumors round that come again.
“However what I say at the moment is what I’ve stated up to now six or seven years with the workforce, yeah.”
Pressed on whether or not Ferrari and Leclerc can return to the highest, given the workforce’s current historical past, the driving force emphasised that the folks within the constructing are what give him hope for the longer term.
“As a result of I do know the folks,” stated Leclerc when requested if a title was certainly potential at Ferrari.
”I imply, we’re pushing massively in attempting to enhance our processes and in the way in which we work, and there are additionally new folks coming to the workforce with completely different mindsets and in addition alternative ways of working, and that’s giving me a variety of optimism for the longer term.
“However as I stated, clearly subsequent 12 months goes to be an important turning level,” continued Leclerc.
”And we’ll see, however I’m optimistic as a result of I do know the workforce, I do know the folks, and I do know that we’re working in the best route, regardless that, as I stated earlier, a few of our rivals got here with upgrades just lately, and it’d appear like we’re going [backward].
”And yeah, evidently now we have misplaced a bit little bit of efficiency in comparison with them, however that’s form of anticipated after we don’t have an improve when the others do.
“However that’s a alternative, and I hope a alternative that may repay in midterm talking in regards to the starting of subsequent 12 months.”
As for what successful in pink appears to be like like this 12 months, with McLaren having already clinched the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari has turned their concentrate on the battle for second with Mercedes.
For the time being, the Silver Arrows lead in that battle by 27 factors, however Leclerc is totally not “giving up” in that chase.
“I imply, I don’t know what number of factors there are in between us, however I believe they overtook us just lately, so, yeah. It will probably swing a technique or one other very, in a short time, particularly on the Constructors’ the place you’ve bought each vehicles, so we’ve bought to remain on it after which the goal remains to be to complete P2 in that championship as clearly McLaren already gained, so, yeah, that’s a goal and I believe an actual reasonable one,” stated Leclerc.
