Charles Leclerc has claimed the Ferrari driver finds his deficit to a Formula 1 rival ‘very exciting’ after a steady start to the Monegasque’s season during the first three races.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed two podium finishes so far this year after sealing second place in Melbourne last time out. Leclerc followed his Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, home with a one-two finish at the Australian GP. It added to his third-place finish at the Saudi Arabian GP.
Leclerc has steadily improved his results after starting the campaign with fourth place at the Bahrain GP. But the Monte Carlo native was the second Ferrari driver in Sakhir, along with in Melbourne. Sainz has reached the podium in each race he started after taking P3 in Bahrain.
Carlos Sainz has led Charles Leclerc at Ferrari so far in 2024
Sainz was there to capitalise on Red Bull driver Max Verstappen struggling with a brake issue which forced him to retire at the Australian GP. The 29-year-old beat Sergio Perez and Lando Norris for a spot on the front row of the grid – with Leclerc only able to qualify in fifth place.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Leclerc adopted P4 on the grid in Melbourne through Perez’s penalty for impeding Haas star Nico Hulkenberg during qualifying. But he could not get close to fighting Sainz for the win as Norris of McLaren kept the Monegasque honest in the fight to finish the Australian GP in P2.
Charles Leclerc finds his deficit to Carlos Sainz ‘very exciting’
Leclerc admitted following the Australian GP that Sainz was ‘just better’ than the Ferrari star. But the 26-year-old is enthusiastic about the deficit he faced to his teammate in Melbourne last week. Leclerc loves having a competitive teammate in Sainz as it pushes him to improve.
“Carlos has just been better this weekend,” Leclerc shared, via quotes by GP Blog. “It’s been like that in the last three years where we basically would arrive at one race and Carlos would be better, then I would push and then I would be better at the next race.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height
“We’ll improve like that. That’s very exciting as a driver to have such a fast teammate and he’s really been on it since the beginning of the weekend. So, congratulations to Carlos.”
Leclerc will hope Sainz’s Australian GP victory now drives him to continue his rise in 2024 to win the Japanese GP next Sunday. The Monegasque was Ferrari’s lead driver when F1 visited Suzuka in September. He took P4 with Sainz, who had won the Singapore GP previous, in P6.
Ferrari also saw Leclerc respond to Sainz winning his first Formula 1 race at the 2022 British GP by winning the Austrian GP. So, the ducks might align for Leclerc to win the Japanese GP in 2024 after finishing in P4, P3 and P2 so far this term, on top of Sainz winning in Australia.
The post Charles Leclerc ‘very excited’ by Ferrari driver’s deficit to 29-y/o F1 rival appeared first on F1 Oversteer.