Leclerc pinpoints Ferrari’s deficit before major Austin upgrade

Charles Leclerc says Ferrari is short of fundamental car performance rather than suffering from a set-up problem, with the team preparing its biggest upgrade of the season for the United States Grand Prix.

Ferrari has often appeared strong in practice before losing ground to rivals in qualifying. Leclerc believes the contrast can be explained in part by the engine modes competitors use earlier in the weekend, which leave them with more performance to show when qualifying begins.

Leclerc says balance is not Ferrari’s weakness

The Monegasque says Ferrari usually arrives at a race weekend with a car that is already well balanced. Preparation at Maranello, including simulator work, has helped the team build a strong correlation between its preparation and what it finds at the circuit. Leclerc has also felt comfortable with the car from the start of recent weekends.

But changing the car to make it more difficult to exploit would not, in his view, uncover extra speed. The issue is the car’s underlying potential against its main rivals, not a characteristic that Ferrari can alter through set-up. That distinction puts pressure on the upcoming development package to deliver a meaningful gain.

Leclerc’s comments come during a difficult season for the Scuderia. Ferrari has struggled for straight-line power, having opted for a smaller turbo to improve performance at lower speeds. The trade-off eventually cost the team the advantage it had held in that area.

The Austin package is set to include a new floor, sidepods and bodywork. Ferrari’s drivers could benefit from a shift in performance, though Leclerc’s assessment makes clear that the team needs more than a better-balanced car.

Ferrari has ground to make up in both standings

Ferrari’s most recent victory came at the British Grand Prix, where Leclerc took the win. The team has also outscored Mercedes at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, where Leclerc finished second behind Max Verstappen.

Ferrari is second in the constructors’ championship on 444 points, 134 behind Mercedes. Leclerc is fifth in the drivers’ standings on 215, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton is third on 229.

The scale of the deficit frames the importance of the upgrade, but Ferrari’s next step will be judged against the weakness Leclerc has identified: its basic pace. His recent experience of the team’s difficult spell is explored in our report on Leclerc’s social media silence. And his British Grand Prix victory remains central to the story of his redemption after the race.