"We just need to reset a little more": Charles Leclerc on the challenges Ferrari faces in Singapore

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari suffers in overall performance in comparison to Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin. Speaking to Sportskeeda ahead of the 2023 Singapore GP, the Monegasque iterated the need for a reset to perform similarly to the stronger weekends they’ve had before such as Monza and Spa.

One of the strong points of Ferrari this season has been their low downforce package which they’ve been more confident about. Speaking to Sportkskeeda after Monza, Charles Leclerc had mentioned that the Marina Bay circuit would be tricky for them as it is a high downforce circuit. One of the reasons is their car’s tendency to have a higher degradation with the high downforce package.

Asked by Sportskeeda why he felt it was tricky and whether it was the tyre degradation or overall performance they were not confident of, Charles Leclerc replied:

“No, I think its the overall performances at this weekend. It’s quite difficult to get from one weekend in Monza where we are fighting for third position and we are clearly the second strongest team on track, to a weekend like this where we need to reset a little bit and it will be much closer. At least with Mercedes, McLaren also Aston Martin. So yeah we just need to reset a little bit more.”

Asked where they stood in the pecking order of the midfield, the Ferrari driver said:

“I mean I have no idea. I mean I really have no idea. It changes is quickly, the tendency seems that’s whenever we are on lower downforce tracks we are always strong. On high downforce its a bit more inconsistent. It’s my favourite track though. I hope we can at least be the second strongest team.”

According to Charles Leclerc, they find it hard to anticipate how they will fair against a Mercedes, Aston Martin or a McLaren in Singapore. Answering Sportskeeda’s question, the Ferrari driver felt it is a different circuit compared to Monza or Spa where they were clearly the second fastest car on the grid. The 25 year old feels it is not just their degradation they are worried about at the humid street venue but also their overall performance. He feels their downforce package tends to be more inconsistent in performance compared to their rivals whose low downforce package is more competitive.

Despite the circuit being one of his favorites, Charles Leclerc felt the team needed a reset when it comes to their package. After speaking to Sportskeeda, the Ferrari driver and his teammate Carlos Sainz topped the first two free practice sessions. The Spanish driver was 0.018 seconds quicker than the Monegasque driver as Red Bull struggled to top the timesheets.

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Charles Leclerc reinstates his faith in Frederic Vasseur’s plans for Ferrari

With a lot of changes over the winter at the Maranello team including the axing of Mattia Binotto, Charles Leclerc reunited with an old ally Frederic Vasseur as he took the baton of the team. Although the Frenchman has been around for a short time, the changes have started to reflect in the modus operandi of the team and their track performance. The Monegasque reinstated his faith in Vasseur and his plans for the team as he spoke to Sportskeeda in Singapore.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the team was finally moving in the right direction after the changes made over the winter including a new team principal, Charles Leclerc said:

“I was always, I always had 100 percent trust on Fred and on what his views are to do with the team long term. On that I have always been aligned and I am sure it’s going in the right direction. Then of course Fred needs time, there are changes that are quite short term and others that are very much long term. So we need to be patient, but I have no doubt that we are working in the right direction.”

Ferrari are currently fighting both Mercedes and Aston Martin for second place in the championship. With their current result they have climbed up to third place and are closing in on Mercedes for second place. They currently trail the Silver Arrows squad by 45 points and are 11 points ahead of the Silverstone squad. The battle between the three is supposed to be close and the pendulums could shift from time to time until the final race in Abu Dhabi.