F1 | Leclerc convinced: “For Ferrari at Imola the target is pole”

Charles Leclerc believes it. He’s not one to hide behind words. The Monegasque has ambitious plans for Imola: the objective is pole position with the Ferrari equipped with the first updates. Charles is aware that the Enzo and Dino Ferrari is not the track that can enhance the characteristics of the SF-24, but he is ready to do his part to satisfy the expectations of the Cavallino fans who will invade the hills of passion.

And he bluntly talks about the change of track engineer: Xavi Marcos has left to make room for Bryan Bozzi. The Spaniard seems to have taken a new professional path, perhaps in the United States. A change in the running always creates an anomalous situation, but Leclerc seems calm, not worried.

Was Bozzi the new track engineer a surprise?
“We have always had a close relationship, always working well together. This is a great promotion for Bryan, I’m happy. Once I understood that that was the choice of the team and Xavi, I was aware that Bozzi was the perfect person for the role of track engineer and I am very confident that he will do very well from the start”.

From the way you speak it seems that it wasn’t your choice to change the track engineer…
“It was a choice made by Xavi and the team. Together they made the decision to split up and I was informed of it immediately after Miami.”

How important is it to build a feeling with the track engineer and how much can the chemistry with Bryan improve?
“I have always had a very good relationship with little different. He’ll be fine…”.

Ferrari SF-24: the new radiator mouth with the inverted tray

Picture of: Giorgio Piola

Bring some updates to Imola: what are the areas of the car that need to be strengthened?
“In the first part of the championship we struggled a little more in the slow corners. These updates had been conceived months before, so the target of this package is not yet updated with today’s evidence, but it should be a step forward.”

What should we expect from Imola?
“I hope we see the full potential of the car. I don’t know what the actual value of this package will be, because we tested it mostly on the simulator. It is certainly a step forward, but on the internet I have seen numbers that are decidedly larger than they are in reality. We will take small steps in the right direction. Having said this, I hope that the data we expect will be confirmed in Imola, even if it is not the ideal track to find out and perhaps we will have to wait for other tracks before seeing the full value of the new features.”

There’s a lot of talk about Newey at Ferrari…
“Everyone in the paddock would like him on their team. Having said that, we are the team that has grown the most in the last seven or eight months. It’s true that McLaren made a big leap in the last race with the new package of innovations but now it’s up to us to succeed. The team has done a great job so far. Having Adrian on the team would be an added value, but it won’t represent everything we’ll see in the coming years. It’s definitely an opportunity. We’ll see if it arrives or not…”.

Is Newey high on your list of expectations?
“Definitely, Adrian is one of the engineers you would like to work with. We get to know each other and talk to Adrian. So far we haven’t gone into details because he worked at Red Bull, but in the future we’ll see…”.

In Miami you found the feeling in qualifying: will you try for pole position in Imola?
“The desire certainly isn’t lacking. Both in China and in Miami in qualifying I found the right sensations, but when you are within a tenth of a second, the separation line becomes very thin, not only for me because the operating window of the tires has become very narrow. Every weekend is a story in itself, but I think a good job was done in the formation lap: I improved a lot and I saw it in the results. I’m confident but if we have to continue to work hard.”

Ferrari SF-24: the new bottom with the slot in the pavement

Picture of: Giorgio Piola

The last time you raced in Imola you arrived as world championship leader: what has changed since then?
“Today there is a Red Bull in much better shape than two years ago, even though it was very strong in Imola. The situation is very different, but since we are very close in qualifying we can try to make a difference. It’s important to know how to take advantage of curbs and make upgrades work. In Imola when you start from the front it’s a good sign: I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the target is pole position and I’ll do everything to get it. Then we’ll see how it goes…”.