Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has voiced his concern after a challenging qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, emphasising the urgent need for the team to improve their performance.
Leclerc secured the sixth position on the grid at the Hungaroring, with Ferrari trailing behind the dominant cars of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the two McLarens, and Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo.
The Monegasque driver was nearly four-tenths of a second adrift from Hamilton’s pole position time, leaving him surprised and disheartened by the substantial gap.
“Not [feeling] great to be honest because I was really happy with my lap and then you look at the board and you are P6,” Leclerc expressed his disappointment.
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“Yes, the margins are very close until P4, but then the top three is quite a lot ahead on a track like this, so we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Leclerc acknowledged the impressive strides made by the McLaren team, who showcased significant progress on the Hungarian circuit compared to their performance at Silverstone.
He recognised the urgency for Ferrari to match their rivals’ improvements and close the gap.
“Today McLaren again is showing they’ve done a general big step forward as on a track like this compared to Silverstone it’s two completely different characteristics and they are very quick, so we need to do a step forward also.”
Ferrari’s current standing in the Constructors’ Championship adds to their worries, as they find themselves trailing behind Mercedes and Aston Martin, holding only fourth place.
Leclerc emphasised the importance of making progress to remain competitive in the fierce championship battle.
“McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull now seems to be consistently ahead, at least if you are looking at the last three races,” he stated.
“We need to work, otherwise we are just losing more points and more points every weekend, so we need to do a good push.”
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The Hungarian Grand Prix has highlighted the need for Ferrari to reassess their strategies and car performance.
The team’s efforts to close the gap on the leading pack have become crucial to secure valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Leclerc’s determination and focus on pushing the team forward will be pivotal in their pursuit of success.