Charles Leclerc admits Ferrari have no 'miracle' to close gap on Red Bull in Miami
- Rob Fleming
- 6 May 2023
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc doubts they can pull off a "miracle" and get past Red Bull in the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari is unlikely to pull off a "miracle" and surpass Red Bull in the upcoming Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Leclerc, who took third place in both of Friday's practice sessions, crashed during FP2 at Turn 7, causing damage to the right-front of his SF-23 machine. Despite the crash, Ferrari's new upgrades remained undamaged.
Although Leclerc feels that Ferrari can match Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez over a single lap in qualifying, he admits that it will be difficult to do so in the race due to the high tyre wear rate on the Ferrari.
Leclerc said to the media, "In terms of race pace, I don't think we have any miracle in hand to close the gap. I don't think we will be much closer [to Red Bull]. The feeling is pretty good over one lap, but in the race, we are so far behind Red Bull, who are in a league of their own. In the race, we definitely have a lot of time to find, but in qualifying pace, we are more or less there."
During the practice sessions, track conditions improved as more rubber was laid down, causing Leclerc to get a tank-slapper at Turn 7. Although he turned into the slide, the car ultimately bit and hit the outside barrier, damaging the right-front. Leclerc put the crash down to a lack of grip on the track.
"Overall, it is very tricky because there's only one line and whenever you get offline, there's really poor grip," Leclerc said. "Basically that is what happened: I pushed too much, lost the rear trying to recover from it but I had no room to turn the car, so that was it, but there's no big damage. Obviously, the right front is gone, but apart from that, there was no damage to the rear of the car, which is the most important, and tomorrow is another day, and I am sure it will go well."
The practice sessions have shown that Ferrari has work to do if they hope to challenge Red Bull in the race. However, Leclerc remains optimistic about their chances, and with his talent and determination, it is still possible for him to achieve a strong result in the Miami Grand Prix.
