Charles Leclerc "disappointed" yet optimistic about Ferrari’s prospects for the 2024 Bahrain GP as he looks to rival Max Verstappen for the win

Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc kicked off his 2024 F1 campaign with a front-row starting position for the Bahrain GP. Despite the promising start, he was disappointed with the result but remained optimistic for the Grand Prix, citing improvements in the SF-24.

Leclerc set a blistering pace early in qualifying, topping the charts in the Q2 session and posting a laptime two-tenths of a second quicker than Verstappen. In the final round, the battle for the pole position intensified, narrowing to a showdown between the two drivers.

The reigning champion posted a lap time of 1:29.179s, while Charles Leclerc trailed by two-tenths, clocking in at 1:29.407s, earning him a spot on the front row alongside pole-sitter Verstappen. Leclerc added that he "lost rhythm" with the used tires in the final session.

The Ferrari driver was "disappointed" with his starting position but is optimistic about Saturday's race. He believes that the team has addressed the tire degradation issues that bugged the SF-23 last season.

"I'm a bit disappointed. We did a good qualifying bit it's been tricky until now. We are in a better place than a year ago. In Q2 I think I did more or less the lap time that Max did in Q3, it was in the car but I think we lost a bit of rhythm in Q3 on used tires," he said in the post-qualifying session interview.

The Monegasque added:

"I'm confident we did a step forward [in race trim] but we really think Red Bull are still ahead by quite a bit in the race."

Charles Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. will start on the second row, having posted a time just a tenth of a second slower than his teammate's.

The Bahrain GP will kick off the 2024 F1 season and is scheduled on Saturday, March 2, at 3 pm GMT (10 am ET, 08:30 pm IST).

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Charles Leclerc highlights Ferrari's clear vision for 2024 campaign

Ferrari had entered the previous season with high hopes of fighting for the title, which were dashed in the season opener as Max Verstappen and the RB19 stomped the field. This year, however, Charles Leclerc believes the team has made improvements and knows the direction it needs to pursue.

In a recent interview with Forbes.com, Leclerc elaborated on the insights gleaned during the pre-season test and the clear development direction the team has planned out for the season.

"Whereas this year, we are starting with very clear ideas of what are the weaknesses of this car after the first three days and we know exactly which direction we need to push to better those weaknesses of the car," he said. "Compared to last year, we have a much clearer vision of where we want to go and how to go to where we put our targets."

Ferrari is said to have addressed many of the gremlins that plagued the SF-23 and seems particularly confident with its improvements in race pace.