Charles Leclerc is optimistic that Ferrari will be more competitive in Hungary, brushing aside any suggestions that the team’s shortcomings from Britain will repeat themselves.
McLaren’s MCL60 was the key stand-out from Silverstone, with Andrea Stella’s squad introducing updates that catapulted the Woking-based team into the unofficial ‘best of the rest’ position behind Red Bull.
Ferrari were among the victims of this improvement, although a strategic precaution in the race proved more costly.
A lack of data on the longevity of the tyre life prompted the Italian squad to stop both drivers relatively early, in a decision to safeguard any risk of excessive tyre management.
A late Safety Car proved detrimental to this strategy, with Ferrari paying the price for its cautious approach at the chequered flag.
Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) Ferrari SF-23.
09.07.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England, Race Day.
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Speaking in the media pen at the Hungaroring, Charles Leclerc was optimistic about his chances for this weekend:
“We were a bit conservative on my second run, on the hard tyre.
“But we’ll learn from it, we had very good meetings in Maranello discussing it and we took strong conclusions.
“I think this will not happen again. It was a small mistake, I think at the end, the strongest factor was the pace.
“We weren’t as strong as some other races, but hopefully we’ll be more competitive this weekend.”
The Monegasque has no doubts that Red Bull will be the fastest team, whilst adding McLaren to the Scuderia’s list of rivals for this weekend:
“Mercedes, Aston Martin and now McLaren is in the mix… It’s going to be exciting.”
Leclerc provided some nuanced commentary on the experimental tyre allocations for qualifying this weekend, which he expects to have a significant impact on Friday practice.
In any case, this weekend is an opportunity for Ferrari to make a step forward in its understanding of the SF-23 and the team’s overall concept.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
