“We’ll have a full understanding”: Charles Leclerc expecting full preparation from Ferrari ahead of Austin GP

Charles Leclerc is unconcerned about the sprint format affecting Ferrari's ability to assess their upgraded car. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the 2024 USGP, the Monegasque driver expressed confidence in the team's extensive data from prior races to evaluate their progress.

Unlike rivals McLaren and Red Bull, who introduced significant upgrades, Ferrari has not brought new developments to Austin. Instead, Leclerc emphasized that they were relying on the upgrades introduced in Singapore and Monza.

While he acknowledged that the sprint weekend limits experimentation with setups, he also noted that the previous tracks had unique characteristics, whereas the Circuit of the Americas offers a more standard test. He believes Ferrari will have a clearer understanding of their car’s performance by the end of the weekend.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the lack of practice sessions in Austin will hamper their ability to have a fuller understanding of their car’s progress, Charles Leclerc said:

“No I am confident that we’ll have a full understanding. Obviously we already have quite a few data from the last few races as I said that (previous tracks) focus on the specific characteristics of the car. But now we’ll have a full weekend on a normal track. We cannot really play around with the setups because we don’t have enough sessions to do so. We’ll have plenty of data by the end of this weekend and that will be enough to understand how much of a step forward we’ve done.”

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Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari might not be the favorites at the Austin circuit

Charles Leclerc also believes that Ferrari could face stiff competition from rivals McLaren, Red Bull, or even Mercedes during the Austin GP weekend. He emphasized that Ferrari’s main focus will be on evaluating the upgrades introduced in the last three races.

The 25-year-old pointed out that the Circuit of the Americas presented a more well-rounded challenge compared to the previous tracks, making it a key indicator of the team’s overall progress.

Leclerc acknowledged that this could place their rivals ahead, but remains focused on understanding the full potential of their recent car development.

Asked how close he expected Ferrari to be at the front in Austin, Charles Leclerc said:

“For me I still expect McLaren to be in the front, Red Bull to be very similar to them and Mercedes. Depending on how good a weekend we have, we’ll be there but we are not the favourite going into this weekend."

"So then to see how far we will be, it is difficult to predict. We’ve had upgrades in the last few races, so this is definitely the track where we will put all those upgrades to test. Because until now, Singapore, Baku Monza, those are very specific tracks which are focusing only on one characteristic of the car. However, here its more all-rounded track where every characteristics of the car will count. I think then we’ll see whether we’ve done progress or have done enough of a step to be fighting with them but I don’t think we are there quite yet," he added.

In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari are just 34 points behind second-placed Red Bull Racing, positioning them as strong contenders in the final stages of the season. Charles Leclerc, currently third in the Drivers' Championship, also trails second-ranked Lando Norris by 34 points. With six race weekends remaining, including three sprint races, the championship momentum could shift in any direction. Both Ferrari and Leclerc are well-placed to challenge the leaders and potentially disrupt the standings.

Should Ferrari make significant progress, the championship could evolve into a three-way battle, especially in the Constructors' standings.