Charles: “There’s a great atmosphere in the team”

Charles Leclerc has scored more points than any other driver since the summer break, while, with three wins, Scuderia Ferrari HP has picked up 167 points in the last five races, against 162 for McLaren. However, the Monegasque did not want to hear talk of the world championship title, when he met the media today. “To be honest, I don’t think the Drivers’ title is achievable, but we are in the race for the Constructors’, even if we are not the favourites. So we must not change our approach, because that would put unnecessary pressure on ourselves.”

Not the favourites. “We must tackle the rest of the season race by race, starting here in Brazil, where on paper, we are not the favourites. Of course, the fact it’s a Sprint weekend could shake things up a bit, with only one free practice session before taking to the track for Sprint Qualifying,” conceded Charles. “If we execute everything perfectly, I think we can be in the mix and I also believe we can score plenty of points in these last few races.”

Evolution. Charles was then asked for his thoughts on how the team has evolved over this season. “I think we have grown together: for example when I joined the team in 2019, one of my weak points was tyre management, while today I’d say it’s one of my strengths. We have improved in terms of our procedures and have managed to raise our game in terms of strategy. I also think that the arrival of Fred has taken away some of the team’s emotional fragility, because he has always steered a straight course, without getting over enthusiastic or too discouraged in various situations. Now we are a complete team with a great atmosphere.”