Since the 2022 season, Charles Leclerc hasn’t clinched a Formula 1 grand prix victory. Could Miami offer the Monegasque driver the opportunity to break his dry spell?
Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc has injected some optimism into Ferrari’s camp, suggesting that it presents a “good opportunity” to challenge Red Bull for a win.
Max Verstappen has maintained his flawless record of securing pole positions in 2024, with another successful performance on Saturday at the Miami International Autodrome.
Despite this, the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be starting directly behind him in second and third positions, respectively.
Ferrari has already notched up one race win this season, courtesy of Sainz’s victory at the Australian Grand Prix. However, the team faced struggles in the previous race in China, failing to make a significant impact at the front of the grid.
When questioned about his optimistic outlook for Miami following Ferrari’s challenging outing in China, Leclerc explained to the media: “Just the sprint race, we were a little bit closer to what we normally see.”
He also noted, “However, I also said that Max wasn’t really happy with his car this morning in the Sprint race. So we need to see how much of a step forward he does tomorrow, being happier with the car.”
Following the shorter sprint race, with parc ferme conditions lifted, Leclerc commended the progress Ferrari made with its setup. He expressed hope that this improvement would enable them to apply pressure on Red Bull during the main race.
“We did some fine-tuning on our side,” he stated. “We’re also confident we did a step forward. so we’ll see.
“But if we have a similar pace like we’ve seen this morning then I think with strategy you can always put a bit more a bit more pressure. I hope that is the case. We’ve got the two cars in the front, so it’s a good opportunity.”
Starting from fourth on the grid will be Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull car, trailing behind the Ferrari duo.
