Charles Leclerc explains how Ferrari became the 2nd-fastest car in Monza after the struggles of Zandvoort

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari's low downforce package is a reason for its reduction in degradation and improved performance in the 2023 Italian GP. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the race, the Ferrari driver felt that the Monza spec upgrade improved the team's pace all weekend long.

Despite the warmer ambient and track temperatures, battles, and dirty air, both Ferrari drivers did not lose severe amounts of performance throughout the race. The Maranello team had introduced a low downforce package on its car similar to that in Belgium, where the team last performed well.

However, this time around, Charles Leclerc was able to battle his teammate Carlos Sainz and Red Bull's Sergio Perez closely without overworking his tires.

Asked by Sportskeeda if he was surprised that there wasn’t any severe degradation on the car in Monza, Leclerc replied:

“We’ve had a good race car, we’ve had quite a good pace all weekend here and the low downforce package seems to be working more than the high downforce package for us. So yeah it was nice.”

Explaining the engine and the aerodynamics contribution to Ferrari's improved performance, he added:

“Honestly I don't think the engine was part of our really strong (performance). I think we’ve also got a downforce package that is really working well with our car. The low downforce package like we’ve seen in Spa. In Spa at the end, we had quite a good performance, here Red Bull also didn’t have a package just for here. I think they cut a little bit of their rear wing and went like that. That’s why maybe they were a little bit less strong.”

While Carlos Sainz claimed the pole position, he was unable to convert it into a victory. However, both Ferrari drivers showed competitive pace throughout the weekend.

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari's low downforce package has been a contributor to their competitive pace and reduction in tire degradation. In the past, the Ferrari SF23 suffered from severe degradation while in clean air and dirty behind cars.

The degradation used to result in a loss of performance due to which the drivers would back off from attacking their rivals and focus on pace management throughout the race.

Charles Leclerc felt their upgrade was similar to the one in Spa where the team had a very competitive result and he had finished third. Unfortunately, his teammate Carlos Sainz had to retire due to damage suffered from a racing incident, but Ferrari's overall pace was competitive enough to call them the second-fastest car.

The Monegasque feels that despite their improvements, maybe a reason they looked quick is that Red Bull did not bring a Monza-specific update or wing instead it trimmed its medium downforce wing to suit the circuit. Therefore, Red Bull's drop in pace might have made the Ferrari look more competitive.

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Charles Leclerc believes there were no chances in the Italian GP to stay ahead of Red Bull

Charles Leclerc feels that there were hardly any chances for Ferrari to pass a Red Bull or stay ahead of one in the race. Since he had to battle Sergio Perez most of the time and so did his teammate, the Monegasque pointed out that the final corner was where Perez made up a lot of time. He was unsure of why Red Bull's performance was competitive in the final corner but admitted that defending or overtaking them was a tall order.

Asked if there were any chances of keeping the Red Bulls at bay in Monza, Charles Leclerc replied:

“Honestly it was very difficult because they were so incredibly competitive in the last corner. I don’t know what their car is doing there. But whether it was with Carlos or myself, Checo was behind us and he was catching up being behind us in the last corner. And then it was easy for them to overtake so I dot think it was possible.”

Asked by Sportskeeda about how confident Ferrari is going into the next race, Leclerc stated:

“I think Singapore will be tricky for us.”

According to Charles Leclerc, the Italian GP performance might be difficult to replicate in Singapore. Given the physical, weather, and technical layout challenges of the track, the Monegasque was skeptical about being competitive around the Marina Bay circuit.

Outperformed by his teammate for two consecutive race weekends, he now trails in the driver’s championship by six points.