Charles Leclerc has admitted that the engine issues he and teammate Carlos Sainz have suffered so far this season are "definitely a concern". Leclerc returned to winning ways at the Austrian Grand Prix after a challenging spell that included engine-related retirements in Spain and Azerbaijan. But the Scuderia lost a potential 1-2 finish at the Red Bull Ring when Sainz encountered an engine issue of his own, forcing him into retirement.
Ferrari's engine issues "definitely a concern" for Leclerc
At the halfway mark of the season, Leclerc sits 38 points behind Max Verstappen in the Drivers' standings, while Ferrari are 56 adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors' battle. With unreliability seemingly Ferrari's main weakness at present, the Monegasque is keen for his team to steady the ship and avoid any further DNFs. "It is definitely a concern, so we need to look into that and make sure that it doesn't happen," Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365.com . "Obviously, it happened twice on my side in the last five races, and now Carlos again, so we need to get on top of this as quickly as possible."
Leclerc encouraged by Ferrari's development
Despite the ongoing reliability concerns, Leclerc has praised Ferrari for bringing plenty of performance to their car so far this season. Asked what has changed on his car between his victories in Australia and Austria, he said: "Quite a bit. We got a package in Barcelona, then we had another upgrade at Silverstone, and it always went in the right way. "I think the performance has been great since Australia, apart from Miami maybe where we were a little bit down compared to Red Bull. "It's been strong in the last five races, but we just couldn't put everything together, so it's great that we are now finally having a normal race on my side."
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