During his usual meeting with the press on the Thursday before a race, Charles Leclerc was confident but realistic about his approach to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will begin tomorrow with free practice.
“I'm sure we can be on the pace this weekend, although there are a lot of elements that can derail us. On paper this circuit may seem simple, but it's not. As the race takes place at night in a desert location, temperature variations are very significant, so tire management will be crucial.
“For our part, we have a car that is gentle on the tires, but the downside is that it is generally difficult to get them up to temperature for a qualifying lap. We have worked on that and we feel that we We have made progress.”
The Monegasque then spoke about the atmosphere within the Ferrari team, very good and promising for the end of the year and 2025: “With the recent results there is a lot of energy, even though we are reaching the end of the season. This mentality helps us, also for 2025.”
“In the short term, it allows us to focus on our objective which is to obtain the best possible results, race after race. We can do well here and we will give everything. There are three races left before the end of the season, with a Sprint weekend, so there are a lot of points to be gained and we are not going to give up for the constructors' title.”
Leclerc is delighted to ride on a street circuit, which he particularly loves: “I love it, I love all street circuits. It's difficult to compare them, I like the feeling of being close to the rails without the possibility of exceeding the limit because you pay for it immediately. There are few grip, it slides in all directions, but it's a good feeling.”
Ferrari, however, keeps the constructors' title in the back of its mind: “We are 36 points behind McLaren, it's not that far. We know it's a possibility but we don't focus on that, we take things step by step. We have a good feeling, we think that “We're going to be strong but that doesn't mean we're going to dominate the whole weekend.”
“It will be close with McLaren and Red Bull and we will have to beat them. But the constructors' title is our goal” continued Leclerc, before talking about the atmosphere in Maranello. “It's quiet! It's very different from what it was two years ago.”
“We were more affected by what was happening, and we are stronger as a team. We are calmer, it's thanks to Fred, we try to take the problems one by one, and we have a race to win this weekend, so we will try to do our best.”
Sainz hopes to be less 'unlucky' this year
On the other hand, Carlos Sainz is more determined than ever to give the best of himself at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, starting tomorrow, during the two free practice sessions. Last year, he was unable to drive because a manhole cover destroyed his car.
“The last race in Brazil certainly wasn't the best for me, but we turned the page and focused on the challenge ahead of us. And last year, in this event, I was very unlucky, damaging my car on a manhole cover I'm sure that since it's the second year here these things won't happen again and we can concentrate on the work we have to do So I very. want to be on top Free 1 and 2 to erase all that.”
This weekend marks the start of his final three races as a Ferrari driver.
“But that doesn't change my approach. I will be a Ferrari driver until the very last corner of the last race of the season. In fact, thinking about it, I can't imagine a greater gift for the team than win the constructors' championship, with Charles, I will do everything to try to achieve this goal. Of course, we are not favorites, but we are in good shape at the moment and we have the right calm approach to take on this challenge. .”
According to the Spaniard, the route favors Ferrari, but not the fact of driving at night: “If we look at the track, Ferrari must be competitive, or in the fight. But there are the temperatures, and we sometimes had difficulty putting them in the right operating window.”
Although he makes no secret of the fact that he would like to win the constructors' title, Sainz admits that it will be difficult: “We are within reach, but we need McLaren to make mistakes. If they don't make them before the end of the season, they will be able to hang on to the title. There are two tracks which are more favorable to McLaren than 'at Ferrari, so we'll see how it goes.”
