Charles Leclerc has conceded it would be a “surprise” should Ferrari gain points on McLaren this weekend in Qatar in the race to win the Formula 1 Constructors’ title.
Ferrari made inroads into McLaren’s advantage in the Constructors’ Championship last weekend in Las Vegas as Leclerc came fourth behind team-mate Carlos Sainz.
However, the Italian marque was denied the chance to make up added ground as the suspicion that the SF-24 would emerge as the package to beat didn’t materialise.
Instead, Mercedes produced a surprise as the pacesetting team around the Las Vegas Strip Circuit as George Russell converted pole position to head a dominant 1-2.
That means Ferrari still trails 24 points behind McLaren with two rounds to go, starting this weekend with the Qatar Grand Prix prior to the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
But while the momentum has been with Ferrari, the Lusail International Circuit’s onus on strong high-speed cornering performance is braced to suit McLaren’s MCL38.
Leclerc has acknowledged Ferrari has to slash the margin to McLaren in Qatar to stand a chance heading into Abu Dhabi, though he has admitted it will be a tall order.
“Yeah, it’s going to be until the very end,” Leclerc told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think they are going to be very strong in Qatar, so we’ve got to have a good weekend and I would be very surprised if we recover points from them.
“But we’ve got to, so we’ll do our best. But I expect it to be tricky.”
Sainz expects Ferrari ‘struggle’ in Qatar
Sainz concurred with Leclerc’s assessment regarding Ferrari’s prospects in the upcoming round as he also tipped Mercedes and Red Bull to provide a stern challenge.
“We need to go into that trying to maximise whatever we have,” the Spaniard highlighted. “I think over the last few weekends we’ve done a good job.
“Yesterday the maximum was a P2 in quali, today the maximum was a P3 in the race.
“In Qatar, the maximum might be a P5 or P6 because with this car in a track like Qatar, I expect to struggle and I expect McLaren and Mercedes to be very strong.
“Also even Red Bull, given that they were strong also in quali in Austin.
“So yeah, I think it’s going to be a very challenging weekend for us. That’s why today it was important for us to get maximum number of points available.”
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