Leclerc shares initial judgment on extensive Ferrari upgrades

Charles Leclerc has confirmed the suite of upgrades Ferrari has introduced at the Italian Grand Prix are "working as expected" following the first practice two sessions of the weekend.

The 26-year-old showed strong pace at Monza, finished second behind Max Verstappen in FP1, and setting the fifth-fastest time in FP2.

However, the Monegasque driver was within two-tenths of a second of session-topper Lewis Hamilton.

The Italian team has ported nine updates to the SF-24, eight of which are performance related, as it looks to claw back some of the ground it has lost to its rivals since delivering ultimately unsuccessful developments prior to the summer break.

"It was quite a positive day overall," Leclerc said following the Friday's second and final practice session.

"Our performance is good, driving the car felt nice and the upgrades we brought to the car are working as expected.

"Our main focus will now be on balance, as there is still some margin for improvement on that side."

Having started the season with the second-quickest package, behind the dominant Red Bull RB20, Ferrari slipped behind McLaren and Mercedes when it could not keep up with their pace - or success - in the F1 development race.

However, Leclerc remains hopeful that the Scuderia's latest upgrades will bring them back into contention at the front, predicting a "closer" weekend than in the previous round, at the Dutch Grand Prix.

There have also been substantial changes to Monza from last season, which will provide a fresh challenge, and added unknowns, during the race.

"The race on Sunday will be tricky for everyone, especially because of the new asphalt, so tyre management will be key," the six-time grand prix winner explained.

"We are closer to our competitors than we were in Zandvoort, however, they are still very strong and we will have a lot of competition [in qualifying]."