Leclerc Satisfied After Spa Podium Finish
Charles Leclerc Pleased with Spa Podium:"Progress is Clear"
Q:Charles, you finished the race in third place, ahead of Max Verstappen. How satisfied are you with the result?
Charles Leclerc: It's a good feeling. We didn’t expect this kind of outcome, especially after evaluating our pace in the Sprint Shootout, where the gap to the front-runners was quite significant. But in the main qualifying session, we decided to take a risk by opting for a low-downforce setup. I managed to put together a strong lap, and the weather played slightly in our favor during the race.
The opening laps on a damp track were tricky—Max was clearly faster. My main objective was to keep him behind. Once we switched to slicks, things shifted in our favor. I knew that if I simply focused on doing my job well, third place could be ours—and that’s exactly how it played out. I’m pleased with the result.
Max was putting a lot of pressure on me. At one point, he was right behind. Every time I delivered a strong lap, he responded with one of his own. Eventually, I stopped paying attention to the gap and just focused on maintaining a consistent rhythm.
Q: How do you assess the performance of the upgrades the team brought for this weekend?
Charles Leclerc: I’m happy to see that we’re making progress. That’s something we can be proud of. I know how much effort the entire team in Maranello is putting in to deliver these updates.
These improvements allowed us to fight Max on equal footing and secure a podium finish. Of course, we know this isn’t enough—we still have a lot of work to do. The main objective remains to close the gap to McLaren and challenge for victories. But for this weekend, we can be satisfied with the step forward.
Q: Do you think the Hungaroring suits your car better than Spa?
Charles Leclerc: I'm not sure. It's too early to say.
Q: Yesterday, you mentioned the car struggled in wet conditions. Today, the track dried quickly. In which phase of the race was the car most competitive?
Charles Leclerc: At the beginning, when the track was still wet, a podium didn’t seem realistic. Had the entire race been run in those conditions, our setup would not have delivered a strong result. Fortunately for us, the surface dried relatively quickly, and the car came to life.
Q: The start of the race was delayed by over an hour. Do you think that decision could have been made sooner?
Charles Leclerc: Given this circuit’s history and what’s happened here in the past, the risk factor has to be taken seriously. In such situations, it's better to wait an extra ten minutes in the pits than to go out before the conditions are truly safe. Of course, this is something worth discussing—we may raise the point that the decision could’ve been made slightly earlier—but overall, I wouldn’t change how it was handled.
