Twelve months ago, Charles Leclerc made history by becoming the first Monegasque driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix. However, a year later, the Ferrari driver has little confidence that he can repeat this feat this weekend. The race in the city-state is often won from pole position, and qualifying happens to be Ferrari’s weak point this season. ‘That’s what’s holding us back at the moment, the Saturdays,’ says Leclerc.
A year ago, Charles Leclerc’s childhood dream came true on the streets of ‘his’ Monaco. The Monegasque won the Grand Prix, closely followed by Oscar Piastri and then teammate Carlos Sainz. A season later, Ferrari is in a much worse position, with only one podium finish in a main race in seven races. Therefore, Leclerc is somewhat pessimistic about the Grand Prix weekend in his homeland.
“It’s going to be a very difficult weekend,” Leclerc predicts to the media present in Imola. “I think Monaco exposes some of the weaknesses of our car.” However, the Grand Prix in the city-state remains unpredictable, as a crash can happen in a small corner on the narrow street circuit. “There are also many things you can’t really expect in Monaco, the amount of risk you take in qualifying. The car is set up in a completely different way.”
‘No Miracle Cure’
During the Grand Prix in Imola, Leclerc finished in sixth place, after a ‘limit’ battle with Alexander Albon. Partly due to the poor qualification in Emilia-Romagna, a connection with McLaren and Max Verstappen was not possible. “I don’t think there’s a miracle cure for the situation we’re in. We just have to work hard and try to understand where the problem in qualifying comes from,” concludes Leclerc. “That’s what’s holding us back at the moment, the Saturdays.” In Monaco, the pole sitter has more often than not won in recent years, so it’s not a luxury that the Scuderia tackles the problem this week.”
