Leclerc provides warning over Ferrari upgrades

Charles Leclerc has played down the impact Ferrari's upgrades will have on the team at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend.

Ferrari is introducing an upgrade package at its home round in Imola after they debuted at a filming day from Fiorano last week.

The Italian squad has started the 2024 season in strong fashion, winning the Australian Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz while also bagging a further five podiums in the opening six races.

However, Red Bull still holds the advantage over the rest of the field, with Leclerc not expecting the new parts to immediately close the gap.

“We did a filming day but that was mostly for filming purposes,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365. “So for now, we don't really have real data yet.  

“I know that visually it's a big change, but I would be careful [about] what you see visually to not get carried away and to not have false expectations.

“That wouldn't be good for ourselves. It's a step in the right direction, we believe, [but] it still needs to be confirmed. 

“I'm confident that it is but how much of a step forward it is still remains to be seen.”

Leclerc also voiced caution over judging the upgrades purely based on their performance from Imola.

“I don't think we can judge in one weekend. In very few laps, we'll understand whether the package is working as well as what we expected.

“But then we've got to see how it works on other tracks with other characteristics. That is really going to be what will tell us what the other part of the season will look like.”

The upgrades have already been through Ferrari's simulator, with Leclerc hoping the positive results will translate onto the track.

“The upgrades are done in a way that they’ve been projected and thought about quite a long time ago,” he said. 

“So it's not like we can react to the first weaknesses of the car.

“However, it's just to make it a much better car all around. That was the main target. It was mostly on the simulator where we could see the first data and feel the first few things which were small steps in the right direction. 

“Now it's all to be seen whether in reality, we find the gains that we have seen on the simulator, which I which I hope we do.”