F1 | Miami GP | Charles Leclerc on P2: ”A very difficult race physically.”
The Championship leader is pleased with his performance, recognised that Red Bull had “the advantage in terms of pace” today but is hopeful for Barcelona and the upgrades to be introduced there.
Championship leader Charles Leclerc was unable to convert his pole position into a win, and had to be satisfied with P2, sharing the podium with his teammate Carlos Sainz and main title contender so far Max Verstappen.
The Monegasque had kept his starting position at the beginning of the race, but Verstappen managed to complete the move for the lead on him during Lap 9, building a consistent gap on him.
After the safety car was brought out after Norris's accident, Leclerc caught up with the reigning champion, but was ultimately unable to get the lead.
Twin podium!
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 8, 2022
A good amount of points for the team 🙌@Charles_Leclerc P2 👊#essereFerrari 🔴 #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/LzmL4KrHx0
The Ferrari driver recalled the highlights of his race, and the main difficulties he faced in today's 57 laps, in the post-race interview:
"It was a very difficult race physically, we struggled quite a bit with the medium tyres, especially in the first stint and got overtaken then, he made our race a bit more difficult from that moment on."
"Whereas, on the hards we were very competitive and towards the end I thought I could get Max at one point."
In spite of Red Bull having the upper hand in this round, and of his advantage in the drivers'standings been reduced to 19 points, Leclerc was satisfied, and remarked once again his happiness in seeing the fans back at the paddock after the pandemic.
"Today they had the advantage in terms of pace but it was fun. It's amazing to see so many people again. I keep saying it, but it's great to have so many Ferrari fans too in the grandstands, so thank you for your support."
The next round in Barcelona will be extremely important for the team, as it's rumoured that Ferrari will bring and put tinto action their first upgrade package, which could turn out to be an extremely helpful aid in Leclerc's title fight, if everything goes according to plan.
"We need to keep pushing. The upgrades will be very important throught the year, and I hope now that we can do a step up from the next race onwards.."
"But yeah, it's been tight since the beginning of the season and that's what we like to see," he concluded, remarking the extremely high level of racing he has been showing under the new regulations.
