Leclerc limits expectations after podium return as Hamilton says Ferrari on the ‘right path’

Charles Leclerc took his first podium since Belgium at last week’s United States Grand Prix, but has moved to limit expectations of further successes this season.

Leclerc’s top-three finish in Austin was his and Ferrari’s sixth of the season, with five of this number coming for third-place finishes, and the other for a second place in Monaco.

“I am not surprised by the fact we are missing a bit more performance going throughout the end of the year, especially considering that probably Mercedes and Red Bull are two of the teams that pushed their development a bit later than other teams,” said Leclerc.

“If we look at the gap compared to the McLaren, it remained kind of the same. For us, we are more focused about next year, which I hope will help us.

“But it was a very positive weekend. Whether from now on we can consistently fight for a podium, I think it is a long shot, but I will try to make this happen again this weekend.”

Having stopped development at an early stage, Ferrari have sought to make gains through improved procedures and set-up, with Leclerc adding of the Austin podium: “It has been a long time, and it’s good for everybody in the team to finally see a little bit of improvement.”

Although still searching for his first podium in Ferrari colours, Lewis Hamilton equalled his best result for the season with a fourth-place finish at the Circuit of The Americas, a result he had last achieved at Silverstone.

Following the race, Hamilton said, “I’m finally feeling like I’m on top of the car,” with plenty of positives taken from the weekend.

Arriving in Mexico, the seven-time World Champion was still riding high, saying: “Coming from a positive weekend... I’m confident that this weekend, we can try to do the same again. I think we’re on the right path.”

He added: “I feel like we’re going in the right direction, and I think – Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it takes time to build. For me, coming into the team, I’ve wanted to be respectful of the way that they’ve done things in the past, and just to really observe and see where our strengths and where our weaknesses are, and to highlight where our weaknesses are and areas to work on.

“But I do feel that they have been responding. I think you’re starting to see some of the impact of the work that we’re doing in the background.”