Mercedes and Ferrari are set for a big battle for second in the Constructors' Championship with six Formula 1 events remaining in 2023; watch all sessions at the Qatar GP on Sky Sports F1 from October 6-8, when Max Verstappen could become champion on the Saturday
Friday 29 September 2023 16:57, UK
Charles Leclerc feels Ferrari have "learned a few things" which could give them the "upper hand" on Mercedes for the rest of the season.
Ferrari trail Mercedes by 20 points in the Constructors' Championship heading into the Qatar Grand Prix after both teams scored the same amount of points last time out in Suzuka.
Race pace and tyre degradation had been a weakness for Ferrari but, since the summer break, they appeared to have made a breakthrough and took points out of Mercedes in Monza and Singapore.
"Mercedes are strong, especially in the races. In Japan, they put us under a bit of pressure at the end by splitting the cars. In qualifying, it's a bit more inconsistent, so it's going to be a very close fight," Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.
"We are a bit more inconsistent in the race, they are a bit more inconsistent in qualifying. But, I have a feeling inside me that we have learned a few things in the last weekend that will hopefully give us the upper hand for the rest of the season."
Ferrari are the only non-Red Bull team to win this year after Carlos Sainz's stunning win on the streets of Singapore earlier this month.
Although they were not on the podium a week later in Suzuka, Ferrari's fourth and sixth was still a big improvement compared to their pace on high-speed tracks in the first half of the season.
"If you look at the first couple of races of the season, the tyre management was not always our biggest skill," said team principal Frederic Vasseur.
"So coming to Suzuka with this track temperature we were a bit at risk, but at the end of the day I think we did a good job on that side. The strategy was well managed and we did well, so a clear step forward compared to the start of the season."
McLaren were Red Bull's closest challengers in Japan as the team recorded their first double podium for two years, Lando Norris finishing second and Oscar Piastri taking a maiden F1 podium.
Qatar's Losail International Circuit is also expected to suit McLaren due to its high speed nature, which will underline the big steps the Woking-based team have made since the start of the season when they were struggling to score points.
However, Vasseur isn't surprised by McLaren's recent surge as he pointed out Norris qualified third at the Spanish Grand Prix in early June.
"I think that they had a big issue at the beginning, and then they recovered pretty quickly because, even in Barcelona, they were on the second row," said Vasseur.
"I think it was Max, Carlos, Lando and Lewis on the second row, they were already competitive. And this kind of track is probably suited more to their car than us. But for sure it's not just a matter of pure potential, it's a matter of driveability also.
"Each time you will do a step forward you will also help the driver to do a step forward. This can be a kind of snowball effect. Still, a small step compared to Red Bull."
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Will Max Verstappen wrap up his third world championship at the first attempt at the Qatar GP? Watch every session of the Sprint weekend live on Sky Sports F1 from October 6-8. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW. Cancel anytime
