Leclerc hints at competitive season after Norris win

Charles Leclerc has suggested the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season could be more competitive following McLaren's race victory in Miami.

Lando Norris claimed his first grand prix win after pitting under a safety car and pulling a gap to his rivals at the restart.

McLaren introduced a sizeable upgrade package for the race weekend with Norris receiving all of the components while Piastri was fitted with roughly 50 per cent of the new parts.

With Ferrari also looking to fit significant upgrades soon, Leclerc voiced belief that the competitive landscape of the season will come down to car development.

“As I've said many times, I think the season will be up to upgrades,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365.

“We have ours coming very soon and that will define a little bit the rest of the season for us.

“So we've got to work hard and hopefully those upgrades will be as good as theirs and will help us to do a significant step forward.”

'We cannot ignore Lando'

Leclerc's weekend in Miami started in disastrous circumstances as a spin during the sole practice session meant he went into sprint qualifying almost blind.

However, the Monegasque driver ended both qualifying sessions in second place and managed to secure his third podium finish of the year on Sunday.

When asked if it was encouraging to finish only two seconds behind championship leader Max Verstappen, Leclerc asserted it was McLaren, not Red Bull, who was the team to beat in Miami.

“Well, if we compare ourselves to Max this weekend, it's been a positive weekend. However, we cannot completely ignore Lando.

“And Lando in SQ2, I remember he did a lap where I was like, ‘OK, they are extremely quick’.

“Then for some reason, and as Lando said, I think they weren't as special on Saturday for some reason. But [during the race] they were really, really strong.”