Charles Leclerc is champing at the bit after the Monaco race, keen to get out on track in Barcelona. “After a run of street circuits, it’s good to be back on a traditional track, one which is well known for being an excellent test bench for the cars,” said the Monegasque when speaking with journalists in the Barcelona-Catalunya paddock. “This weekend, we have a package of updates to start evaluating tomorrow. They should improve the driveability of the SF-23, allowing us to take a step in the right direction. So far, our race performance has not been satisfactory but I’m fully motivated for the coming races. Our aim is to improve as quickly as possible and to start winning races, as we were doing around this time last year.”
New layout. Charles also spoke about the layout change in sector three of the track, which no longer features a chicane prior to the final corner. “I expect the front left, and actually the whole left side of the car, to have a harder time,” said Leclerc. “I’ll also be interested to see if, with this new faster layout, you will still have to manage your tyres for the first two sectors on a quali lap, so they have life in them for the final sector, which is something unique to this circuit.”