Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc acknowledged that securing an unexpected podium at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort was “super important” for the team, especially with the Scuderia’s home race at Monza just around the corner.
Leclerc, who finished ninth in Friday’s practice and sixth in Saturday’s qualifying session, didn’t have high expectations heading into the race. His teammate, Carlos Sainz, also faced difficulties, being eliminated in Q2. Despite these challenges, both drivers defied expectations, with Leclerc finishing third and Sainz taking fifth, showcasing a much stronger performance than anticipated.
Leclerc emphasized the significance of this result for Ferrari, particularly as the team prepares for stronger circuits and a new upgrade package in the upcoming races. He told Motorsport Week that Sunday’s pace was “super important” for building momentum.
“In the past few races, we’ve been experimenting a lot to identify and address the fundamental issues with our car for the medium-term development,” Leclerc explained. “We’ve got an upgrade coming very soon at Monza, and I’m hopeful it will help us close the gap. But until those upgrades are in place, our priority has been damage limitation.”
Leclerc admitted that Ferrari’s realistic target for the race was P6, based on their performance on paper. However, after just a few laps, it became clear that the pace was better than expected, allowing him to secure a podium finish. “It was a good surprise, and the points are valuable. Now, we just hope the upgrades will help us take a step forward.”
Ferrari has experienced mixed results with upgrades in the past, and their path back to consistent podium finishes has been challenging since the Spanish Grand Prix in May. Even at Zandvoort, Ferrari’s pace varied significantly from Friday to Sunday, leading Leclerc to stress the importance of understanding these fluctuations.
“The big question is why we were nine-tenths off the pace yesterday and suddenly quite strong today,” Leclerc said. “The car was the same, but our performance was dramatically different. We struggled like crazy yesterday, but today we were strong. These are the kinds of things we need to figure out.”
Leclerc added that, just as the team analyzes every negative surprise during the season, they also need to understand what went right when they perform well. “For now, we don’t have a clear explanation for today’s success. It’s a great result, and I’m really happy to be on the podium. But to perform at our best more consistently, we need to understand what’s working and why.”
As Ferrari heads to Monza, a track where they traditionally aim to excel, understanding these performance swings will be critical if they want to capitalize on their home advantage and secure back-to-back podiums for Leclerc.
