Charles Leclerc was all smiles on his arrival in the Spielberg paddock for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. “Of the permanent race circuits, this is one of my favourites because of its features, while the fact that a lap takes just a little over a minute reminds me of a kart track. This weekend? I think and hope we can do well.”
Optimisation is the key word. The Monegasque believes the car has further improved thanks to the upgrades introduced in Spain. “The numbers we have seen confirm the effectiveness of the elements we brought and now it’s up to us to do a good job of optimising the package. I believe there’s potential to be unlocked and that’s what we must focus on. We have to compensate for the weak points on the car and make the most of its strengths. When the gaps are so close, that can be the difference between finishing second or sixth on the starting grid and where you end up on Saturday can have a very strong bearing on the final result, given that with these cars, overtaking is always very complicated.”
Olympic Games? Maybe. Just recently, Leclerc acted as an Olympic flame bearer for the games that start in Paris in around one month’s time. He took the torch through the streets of Monte Carlo and had something to say about motorsport being part of the Games. “In principle, it would be great to be part of the five rings movement. But we have to be realistic, probably you couldn’t race in Formula 1 cars and it’s also difficult to work out what cars could be used. So, yes a fantastic idea but unfortunately, difficult to put into practice.”