Charles Leclerc helped Ferrari achieve a massive milestone by finishing second in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. The Monagasque drove brilliantly to get a podium finish in the Red Bull Ring. With this podium, Ferrari now has 800 podium finishes under its belt as a constructor.
It is widely known that Ferrari is one of the most successful and oldest F1 teams on the grid. The Italian outfit has been racing in F1 ever since the sport was created in 1950. They have won 16 constructors and 15 drivers' championships, with 241 (242 as a constructor) race victories. Of course, in the past few years, Ferrari has not been dominating the sport but has continued to pick up a few race wins and several podiums.
Charles Leclerc's podium in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP was quite important since it was Ferrari's 800th one. Though the Monagasque helped the Prancing Horse reach this milestone, there are countless other drivers who also helped the team reach it. The most successful Ferrari driver, Michael Schumacher, single-handedly stood on 116 podiums for the team.
The team is gradually working on their SF-23 car and is in a race for second place with Aston Martin and Mercedes. Of course, competing head-to-head with Red Bull is still farfetched, but they, along with other top teams, are planning to do so next year.
Charles Leclerc is delighted to be back on the podium in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP
Charles Leclerc had a great Friday qualifying and Sunday race at the Red Bull Ring. He managed to finish second in the race and celebrated his second podium of the 2023 F1 season.
Talking to David Coulthard right after the race, he explained how qualifying and the main race were good. The Monagasque also mentioned how the new upgrades made the car better, which is a positive sign for the future. He said:
"I think Friday and today, we have maximized what we had. Really, it's more yesterday that I was off the pace, but it's good to be back on the podium. The upgrades we brought on the car made me feel a little bit better in those conditions, which is looking good for the future."
He further added:
"The team has done an excellent job by bringing this upgrade earlier, so that's great. But obviously there's still a lot of work to do because Max and Checo had a lot of pace."
Charles Leclerc is currently sixth in the drivers' championship with 72 points.