Leclerc hands Ferrari conclusive evidence over gap to McLaren

Charles Leclerc believes qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix underlined the ground Ferrari still has to make up on McLaren despite an apparent overall improvement in performance.

Leclerc will start sixth on the grid at the Shanghai International Circuit, behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton one place ahead of him, but notably 0.380s behind debut polesitter Oscar Piastri in his McLaren.

A week previously, in Australia, Leclerc emerged as the best-placed Ferrari driver, albeit 0.759s adrift of McLaren's Lando Norris on pole. The Monégasque was, however, considerably closer in Q2.

With McLaren's MCL39 regarded as the fastest car in F1 at the start of this season, Leclerc feels that following qualifying in China, the gap to its rivals has been reinforced.

"There wasn't anything more," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365 in Shanghai. 

"It is a bit frustrating because [on Friday], I wasn't really on it, and there was that potential for pole, and I feel like today I was more on it, considering it is a track where I've always struggled.

"I got the best out of today from what was capable on my side and it wasn't enough, we were just not fast enough. 

"I felt after Australia if we put everything together in qualifying, we would be three-tenths off, and we put everything together today, and we are three-tenths off.

"I will say that this is the gap between the McLaren and ourselves, I haven't looked at the data yet, but Turns 1, 2 and 3 are standing out [as to where we are struggling]."