Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc stated that his team is still losing ground to Mercedes at a decisive point in the current Formula 1 season.
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Second in the constructors’ championship with 90 points, Ferrari appears to be the main challenger to the German team after three rounds. Despite strong starts in Australia and China, their overall performance has been below that of their competitor, who has won all races so far and opened up a 45-point lead.
Leclerc highlighted that the main difference lies in the power unit: “Power unit optimization is probably the biggest difference between Mercedes and us at the moment,” he stated. He also acknowledged a lack of raw performance in direct comparison with the rival team.
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Nevertheless, the Monegasque sees room for improvement throughout the season: “Just with optimization, you can make a big difference, but there’s also a lack of pure power compared to them,” he explained. According to him, the Italian team has already started to better understand the car’s limitations and where it needs to evolve.
On the other hand, the driver pointed out a positive aspect of the current package. According to Leclerc, the chassis has proven to be competitive, being one of Ferrari’s strong points at the start of the championship, while the focus now shifts to reducing the disadvantage in the engine package.
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