Leclerc explains why he is still struggling despite returning to podium form

The Monegasque driver ended his difficult run of form by winning the British Grand Prix earlier this month. He was also in contention to win in Spa after benefitting from a virtual safety car period, but ultimately did not have the pace to hold off Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes.

Despite what looks like a return to form, Leclerc has offered a warning to the competition insisting that he still "cannot drive completely naturally", which could turn to a positive if and when he is able to get the best out of his Ferrari.

Speaking after the Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc said: "I’m confident in saying that I (have) made a step forward. Whether I’m at the level where I want to perform, not yet. There are still things in the car that I need to drive around. I cannot drive completely naturally, and that is slowing me down in some parts of the race.

While Leclerc finished second at the Belgian Grand Prix, there were some who felt he was fortunate to avoid a penalty for his collision with Oscar Piastri. Leclerc and Piastri made contact down the Kemmel Straight, with debris coming off the Australian's car.

Speaking after the race, the Monegasque driver was reluctant to speak about the contact, admitting the lap-eight incident had been extremely close. "I would prefer to speak about lap one, to be honest, but lap eight was too close. Luckily, it didn’t have any consequences for either my race or his race, so that’s good."

Piastri only finished fifth on a weekend where McLaren had strong pace, with Lando Norris, who finished seventh, claiming that he had the pace to finish on the podium or even finish on the top step of the podium.