Between tricky conditions and technical pitfalls, it wasn’t the simplest of Fridays for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque, who finished FP2 P6, explained the difficulties he suffered in Montmelo. However, he made clear there are no major concerns for tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a crucial day for Ferrari and Leclerc to optimise the SF-24 ahead of qualifying and the race. With fine margins separating the field, every tenth counts.
COMPLICATED FP1 FOR LECLERC, BETTER FEELING IN FP2
Charles Leclerc struggled initially in Free Practice, struggling from Barclona’s windy conditions.
“I think FP1 was difficult for everyone, first of all, because it was extremely hot, so this makes the cars very difficult to drive due to overheating.”
The Monegasque driver explained the important comparison work Ferrari carried out:
“We had the balance a little off. And also. I didn’t have all the updates at the start. Because we wanted to compare the two cars, so overall, it was a very difficult session for me.”
Ferrari mounted their entire package on Sainz’s car in FP1, while Leclerc did not have the new floor.
“In free practice 2, I found the feeling again,” declared the Monegasque.
“I haven’t put it all together yet, so there’s a lot of room for growth in terms of pace. Overall, it was a pretty difficult Friday for me, but I know where to find the time, so I’m not too worried about tomorrow.”
LECLERC: “CONFIDENT FOR TOMORROW, I KNOW WHERE WE CAN IMPROVE”
Another obstacle that penalized Leclerc’s day was set-up. The Monegasque and his team opted for major changes during FP2. This also limited the 26-year-old’s time on track, with his SF-24 spending plenty of time in the garage.
“I had a small problem with the car, so I didn’t do the long run I should have done in free practice 2, but looking at the few laps we did, there was still a lot to improve.”
Leclerc then underlined the need to take further steps forward, but he didn’t say he was too worried thanks to the positive signals that he still managed to collect.
“I have a very clear vision of what we need to do to the car to improve it and I am confident that we will take a step forward tomorrow.”
The Ferrari driver is, therefore, optimistic ahead of qualifying day in Spain. As team principal Frédéric Vasseur also explained, it will be essential to maximize the car’s potential. This is also in light of the very close gaps that emerged from Friday’s race simulations.
