P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Charles Leclerc has shone with Ferrari’s new upgrades, but becoming a consistent threat to McLaren is not expected.
Charles Leclerc’s strong performance in the Belgian Grand Prix delivered a setback to Ferrari, leaving McLaren seemingly out of reach despite their promising qualifying with the new upgrades. Ferrari had introduced a new rear suspension, following a successful filming day at Mugello, in anticipation of the Spa-Francorchamps race weekend. Leclerc excelled for Ferrari in Belgium, in contrast to Lewis Hamilton’s challenging weekend, which included early exits in qualifying and sprint races. While Leclerc secured a third-place grid position in qualifying, he acknowledged that Ferrari still lags behind McLaren by an average of three to four tenths on the track. The upgrades have shown progress for Ferrari, but Leclerc emphasized the need for further improvement to consistently challenge McLaren in future races. Despite the positive momentum, he recognized that bridging the gap to McLaren will require ongoing development and optimization of the new upgrades.
