Ferrari’s first podium in the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship came at the fourth round of the season, in Baku, but in Saturday’s Sprint Race of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
It was Charles Leclerc who obtained it, good at holding off at least one of the two Red Bull RB19s – Verstappen’s, even if damaged in a nice, tough but fair duel with George Russell – and finishing in second place behind only Sergio Perez.
There’s no getting around it: Red Bull was the favorite today and will be the favorite again tomorrow, moreover on the grand prix, the most popular race, where the RB19s will also be able to show off their tire management skills.
Leclerc, however, wanted to focus attention on Ferrari’s performance, on the improvements seen and confirmed in the Sprint Race by the SF-23s, especially from number 16.
“We can’t change the car. So, of course, you can work a little here and there on the flaws. But yes, in short, it kind of confirms what we thought: Red Bull still has the upper hand in the race. But we mustn’t forget how far behind we were in race pace, two races ago. So we took a step forward.”
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“We’re not quite where we want to be yet. But like I said, if it’s not possible to win, then we just have to take the maximum points. And today there was nothing more, so I’m happy with second place. Tomorrow we’ll try in any case to aim for victory, even if Red Bull seems to be faster”.
Leclerc then spoke of the duel, which he lost, with Sergio Perez. The RB19 was too strong with the DRS open, then the higher degradation of the Ferrari tires prevented Leclerc from staying in contact with the Mexican, letting him escape towards his first success of the season in a Sprint Race.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t fight too much against Checo because I just wanted to try and conserve the tyres. I knew this was our weak point.”
“I tried to stay within Checo’s DRS so he could pull me into the straight. But it wasn’t enough. We were losing a bit too much towards the end with the degradation. So let’s see what we can do to improve tomorrow. And we will give everything,” concluded Leclerc.
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