Leclerc on poor start for Ferrari: 'Are not as competitive as expected'

Leclerc had a disappointing start to the season. Of the first three races, the Monegasque managed to finish only one. Things went much better in Baku, resulting in a podium. Leclerc calls the season start frustrating and admits that Ferrari is not as competitive as expected.

In Baku, Ferrari, actually especially Leclerc, came out a lot better. After a hugely disappointing weekend in Australia, where the Scuderia scored zero points, speed suddenly seemed to have been found in the SF-23 in Azerbaijan. Leclerc managed to secure pole position for both the sprint and main race, but failed to convert either into a win.

'Not what we deserved'

After the first three races, Leclerc was only on six points in the championship. In the sprint in Baku alone, the Ferrari driver managed to score more points than in those three races combined. According to Leclerc, he also deserved more than six points in those races. "I had practically no points and it's a very bad start. We are not at the level of Red Bull, but it is not what I deserved," Leclerc told AS.com.

Leclerc calls start frustrating

Despite the frustrating start, Leclerc maintains confident in his team. "It is frustrating in a way. There were high expectations for this year and we are not as competitive as we expected. But we tried to analyse it with Fred (Vasseur) and with the team. We understand some things and in the medium and long term I trust Fred's vision. We will return at the front."