Since Max Verstappen’s last victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren has positioned itself as the most successful team in the field. A status which has been confirmed since the resumption of the championship after the summer break, the British team having won in three of the last four rounds.
It was following the event in Azerbaijan that McLaren took the lead in the constructors’ world championship, before increasing its lead with a double podium in Singapore. Now, the Woking-based team is 41 points ahead of Red Bull and seems untouchable given the performance displayed in the last few races.
At 34 units from the Austrian team and 75 from McLaren with six Grands Prix remaining at the end of the season, Ferrari is lurking in third place in the constructors’ standings. The latest performances of the Italian team allow it to remain mathematically in the title race, in particular thanks to the four consecutive podiums, including a victory, of Charles Leclerc before the night event in Singapore.
While McLaren seems to be heading straight for a ninth constructors’ title, the last dating back to 1998 with Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard at the wheel of the MP4-13, Charles Leclerc refuses to give up so early, even if Ferrari has not been in able to keep up with the British team.
“I think if we continue to be consistent and don’t miss too many chances, we’ll add up at the end and hopefully that will be enough to get the constructors’ title.”Leclerc said after finishing fifth under the lights in Singapore. “But in terms of pace, I don’t think we’re at the level yet to challenge for the constructors’ title. I don’t see us too much in the fight, but if they make mistakes then we could find ourselves in the the struggle as we are now.”
Photo de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Winner at Monza, second in Baku, then fifth in Singapore after a completely failed qualifying session, Leclerc does not want to attach too much importance to Ferrari’s performances during these last three races which, according to him, did not really allow It’s up to the Maranello team to resolve their issues, including bouncing in high-speed corners that have plagued them since the Barcelona update.
“Even though the last two races have been good, we have always said that we have to be careful not to have false expectations because McLaren always has a better car than us, and even a little more”he explained. “There are circuits where we will be very close, others where we will be further apart. Before this race we were quite close and we have never really had the fastest car, except maybe in Monaco, and at Monza, where we were quite strong too.”
Red Bull in the crosshairs
Now on the heels of Red Bull, Ferrari could benefit from the poor form of the Austrian team as well as that of its driver Sergio Pérez, the Mexican taking only 13 points in the last four Grands Prix since the summer break. Charles Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz said before the Azerbaijan GP that Ferrari remained in the title fight. After Singapore, he felt that Red Bull would be in the firing line if McLaren proved to be out of reach, with the British team remaining the Prancing Horse’s main target.
“McLaren is definitely favorite for victory”added the Spaniard. “We still have Red Bull in our sights, and obviously McLaren. If they start to perform less or if they start having problems, then we have to stay in the game.
“[Battre Red Bull] would show good resilience from the team after a difficult period of the year where we lost a lot of points and fell behind in development. But Red Bull will come back strong with improvements at the end of the season, once they realize what they did wrong with their car, so it won’t be easy to beat them either.”
