Ferrari only want to focus on themselves in Formula 1 World Championship battle and not look at the competition, according to Charles Leclerc – Worried about rain at Imola
After just three races of the season, the Ferrari team has built up a comfortable cushion in both World Championships. In the Drivers’ Championship, Charles Leclerc leads by 34 points and in the Constructors’ Championship, the Scuderia leads by a margin of 39 points.
WRC leader Leclerc, however, does not want to be blinded by the World Championship standings, even though they have already managed to pull clear of current main rivals Red Bull in particular.
“I don’t want to look too much at the others,” said Leclerc on Thursday ahead of the race weekend in Imola. “That’s exactly the approach we had in the last two years. We couldn’t really look at others because we had regressed so much and we just wanted to get back to the top. “
“We found out that it’s much more valuable to just focus on yourself and so I want to keep that approach this year. So we are not looking too much at Red Bull and Mercedes,” said Leclerc.
Leclerc surprised by consistency of F1-75
“It’s about finding your weaknesses and eradicating them and that’s been our strength over the last few years. If we continue to do that successfully, then I’m sure the results will come on their own,” he explains.
The current standings in the world championship show that this strategy has worked. While Red Bull and Mercedes fought each other on and off the track last year, Ferrari used the opportunity of the new regulations to get back to the top of Formula 1.
Leclerc is particularly surprised by the F1-75’s consistency, having expected the Ferrari to struggle on some tracks. However, the Scuderia was competitive in all three race weekends.
“We have a pretty strong car overall, but looking back at the first three races, I think in some races we expected to be slower than we actually were,” said the Monegasque.
Leclerc concerned about Ferrari pace in the rain
For the upcoming race weekend in Imola, the Ferrari driver believes he has a good chance of winning the race. “We expect our car to be better suited to this track, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if things turn out differently either. “
“We have to stay cautious because it’s so close that you can’t predict whether we or Red Bull will have the upper hand.” As well as the sprint race, rain in Emilia-Romagna could be another unknown, which is very likely for Friday’s qualifying at least.
“We don’t know yet how these cars behave in the rain and in the past we have always struggled in such conditions,” Leclerc expressed concern. “It will be important to adapt to the conditions as quickly as possible and hit the right working window. “
