Charles Leclerc is chasing answers to the “strange” pace on the Hard tyre that cost Ferrari “half a second” per lap to McLaren during Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Ferrari was placed on the back foot in Shanghai as one-lap woes resigned it to starting sixth and seventh, but Leclerc retained optimism that a podium was possible.
Despite capitalising on several Safety Car periods to make his sole pit stop to sit third on the restart, Leclerc struggled to maintain pace with McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez would overtake Leclerc in the latter laps to demote the Ferrari to fourth as the Monegasque trailed home 10 seconds behind the lead McLaren.
Norris had expressed surprise that the Italian marque’s anticipated strong race pace did not materialise, with Leclerc also admitting its rival’s speed had been a shock.
Regarding McLaren’s competitiveness, Leclerc said: “They’ve been very, very strong. I think Oscar [Piastri] had damage on his floor, which obviously kind of helped us.
“Lando was very, very strong. Both Red Bull were very strong. So today we couldn’t do anything better.
“It’s strange because it’s mostly on the Hard. On the Medium, I really thought that we could put the McLaren under pressure and especially Lando.
“As soon as we put the Hard, they were half a second faster, which is crazy because it’s a huge difference and I don’t quite understand why yet.”
The Ferraris had been unable to make ground up at the start as Leclerc prevented Sainz from venturing around the outside at Turn 1 and both drivers lost two places.
Sainz, who clashed with his team-mate in the Sprint, had conceded it was “quite clear” it cost the pair vital positions, but Leclerc deemed it a classic first lap incident.
“I mean, at the start, it’s always very difficult with the tyres. It’s like this,” Leclerc reviewed.
Despite improving upon his grid position, Leclerc proclaimed that he was dissatisfied with Ferrari’s weekend and is banking on upcoming updates to bolster its form.
Asked whether there were positives to take from China, Leclerc retorted: “No, not on a weekend like this. Finishing where we ended up is not really our target.
“But I think what is going to be the game-changer is going to be the upgrade. So we’ll have to focus on that.
“As soon as we have them, that will give the direction for the rest of the season. So we’ll have to get it right.”
