F1: Leclerc Braces For A ‘Challenging’ Weekend At Baku

Ferrari has had a very poor start to the 2023 season, scoring only 26 points in the first 3 rounds. Contrastingly, Leclerc alone scored 26 points in the opening round of the 2022 season. This year, however, Leclerc has managed to score only 6 points from the 3 rounds. The Monegasque suffered from a mechanical DNF in Bahrain, which led to a grid penalty in Saudi Arabia. He could only manage to finish P7 in that race and crashed out from the Australian GP on the opening lap.

Speaking about his chances for the Azerbaijan GP, Leclerc said, “It’s going to be a very, very difficult weekend, if not one of the most difficult of the year, having a Sprint weekend this weekend. Having only one free practice session, on a street circuit, after three weeks break is going to be challenging, but I am looking forward to it.”

While the Italian outfit may not be up for the challenge this weekend, Leclerc predicts a brighter future for the team, being cautiously optimistic. “I think realistically we don’t have the performance that Red Bull has with their car at the moment. What gives me the confidence for the future is that I know the plans of the team, I know what’s coming to the car, and this gives me the confidence for the future because I know that idea, and what Fred [Vasseur] wants to do.” “I am 100% sure that this is the right thing for the future and that will bring us to fight with Red Bull. When is the question and I don’t have the answer for now. This weekend we just need to try and have a clean weekend”, he added.