GP Arabia, Leclerc praises the Ferrari step: “No one like us”

Ricciardo's hand on the fastest lap

Charles Leclerc he finished the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in third position, setting the fastest lap on the last lap. The Ferrari driver is now third in the Drivers' standings, just eight points behind Sergio Perez, who remained uncatchable today despite a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.

There Ferrarihowever, confirmed itself as the second force on the track behind Red Bull by detachment and this means that compared to 2023, no team has improved its performance as much as the men from Maranello managed.

Leclerc underlined this aspect to the microphones of Sky Sports F1 admitting that he had a little help on the last lap to set the fastest lap: “I still have no idea about the inconstancy of the car. I think we went with a very specific setup which didn't give me much confidence in the race, especially in the first sector and when braking at Turn-22. Other than that the car was pretty good today. On the last lap I saw the opportunity to set the fastest lap with Ricciardo's DRS, so I pushed harder and it went well. However, Red Bull has more, especially in the initial phase with the hard tires where we struggled more. There is something we need to understand in order to be able to turn on the soft tires in Qualifying and the white ones in the Race. I felt closer to the Red Bulls, but I think the situation after the Safety Car where we lost some time also had an influence. On the pass itself it was more or less as I expected. We can't point the finger at anything in particular, because even if it's 3-4 tenths, which is a lot in the world of motorsport, you also see that you earn 5 cents here and there. We must continue to work as we have done in recent months. From last year to this year, the team that has made the biggest step forward is ours, and this is thanks to the result of all the work done by the guys at home and on the track. We are in a positive moment, we need to continue working in this direction and I am sure that the satisfactions, which are the victory and beating the Red Bulls, will arrive shortly.”