F1 | Leclerc: “The penalties? Not in time, but in lost positions”

Charles Leclerc is, as always, his own harshest judge. Regardless of what the SF-24 will allow him on the feared Suzuka circuit, Leclerc will be called to give answers this weekend. Nothing of absolute value, but still important after a post-Melbourne period during which some question marks emerged.

Charles knows it's part of the game, just as he knows he can count on a better car than the last edition of the Japanese Grand Prix, not yet enough to bother Verstappen but still more balanced than twelve months ago.

Leclerc sent some messages regarding the Alonso-Russell affair and also towards those in F1 who judge a driver only on the last race. All in the memory of Jules Bianchi, to whom he will dedicate the livery of his helmet this weekend.

What do you think of the two victories obtained by Carlos (Singapore and Melbourne)? Do you feel a bit of pressure in having to beat him given that he will be leaving the team next year?
“I would be lying if I said I was happy thinking about this aspect, victories are important and points at the end of the season are even more important, but at the same time I want Ferrari to win as soon as possible. Carlos did an extraordinary job and won , now it's up to me to react and hopefully win the next race. In F.1 a lot of people base their opinions on the last race, but if I look at my last eight or nine weekends, I think they've averaged a excellent level.”

“Unfortunately, in most of those races it was not possible to win, but I am aware that it is up to me to be present whenever the opportunity arises, and I was not in Singapore and Melbourne. Finally, I would like to say that the the fact that Carlos won't be in Ferrari next year doesn't add any pressure.”

Everyone says that this weekend will be very important to evaluate the real position of the teams. Are you of this opinion?
“I don't know what 'very important' means. I believe that every race is very important, at this stage we are building a clearer picture of what our weak points are and what our strengths are. I think this track will allow us to understand something more about the values ​​on the field in the high-speed sections, this will probably help a little more to place our position compared to our opponents in that type of corners.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

It seems that the gap with Red Bull is closing. How big do you think it is right now?
“The data tells us that Red Bull should be in front this weekend, especially in the race. We have a certain strength on tracks where there is graining on the front axle, in Australia this aspect was important, but I don't think we will find these conditions here in Suzuka, so we should see Red Bull again in the position of the first two races.”

“For our part, we want to bring home the maximum score possible, today we are only four points behind Red Bull, a margin which does not represent our real value in terms of performance, but which denotes how a particularly good job has been done in maximizing what we have at the moment.”

Does the SF-24 have more obvious weaknesses?
“There are always weak points on a car, we know where we need to improve. I think the overall package needs to be faster, in qualifying with new tires we are quite close to the Red Bull, we struggle a little more with used tyres.”

In Melbourne Carlos was more efficient in qualifying. Have you found the reasons for this relative lack of performance?
“What happened in qualifying is my responsibility. I had come back from excellent qualifying, but in Australia on Saturday I didn't do a good job and this also had an impact on the race because we were forced to bring forward the first pit stop due to Lando and Oscar. The second stint was very long, so it was a little more difficult to manage that phase of the race, but then again, it's all linked to qualifying. I tried something in Q3 that didn't work, that's all.”

Charles Leclerc speaks with Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal

Photo by: Ferrari

Just to clarify, were you free to race with Carlos in Australia?
“At one point I was asked not to fight and honestly, it made sense. I don't think that in any case I would have had the opportunity because Carlos and I found ourselves with slightly different strategies, only at one point in the race, when I had new tyres, I could have pushed more, but at the same time I knew I having to complete a lot of laps on that set of tires, so I think it made sense for everyone not to overdo it. And, anyway, considering the positions I qualified for, I don't think I would have made it.”

What characteristics of this track might be suitable for your car?
“We should be closer than what we saw last year, for sure. We've worked a lot on this car to improve performance in high-speed sections, and in general it's a more predictable car than last season.”

What is your opinion on the Russell-Alonso affair?
“I think what Fernando did in Australia was a bit too much, he should have been penalised. However, I believe that there is something to examine if we talk about the penalty criteria, there are too many variables. If the safety car had come in, Fernando would have been in last position with the penalty he had suffered, but given how the race went he only lost two positions. So I think there is something to reflect on, I have always thought that penalties should be assessed in 'positions', while with timed sanctions everything depends on external circumstances.”

Do you think it's clear what can or cannot be done when you have to defend your position or do you think it remains a gray area also considering what Fernando did in Australia?
“I think it's clear what can be done and what can't be done, then you can always try to write it even more clearly. But not of the idea that we will never be able to include all possible scenarios in the regulation, we need common sense. There may be situations where it is clear to everyone that someone deserves a penalty, even if this particular scenario is not described in the rules.”

Do you think the updates will allow you to attack Red Bull continuously?
“I can't say when we will bring the upgrades, but we are trying to squeeze as much as possible on the development front to have them as soon as possible”.

10 years have passed since Jules' accident…
“Every time I come here I think of Jules. I often think of him, he was the person who helped me get to where I am now, already in 2010 he spoke about me to Nicolas (Todt) who is now my manager, so that he could support me on the path to get to F.1.”

“Jules was the turning point in my career, but even before that we were extremely close, us and our families. So it's a very special place we are in, this weekend I will dedicate the helmet livery to him and it will always, always be in my heart”.