Leclerc flags key issue as major Ferrari flaw after three races of new rules

The Monegasque, who claimed his second podium of the season with another third-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, noted how pivotal it would prove for the Maranello team to improve its power unit before the Miami GP, but noted that such would not be possible.

“Well, I think looking back at those first three races, there’s a clear area that we need to improve, and this is surely the power unit. But we obviously cannot bring anything to Miami,” Leclerc said.

The 28-year-old, however, admitted to several areas of improvement available to the Ferrari team, particularly considering the infancy of the regulations.

“But there’s not only that, and in a year like this one, everything is very new. I think the rate of improvement of every team is massive, so there’s a lot more than just the power unit. There’s putting the tyres in the right window, there’s the aero, there’s the chassis, and on that we’ll work flat out to try and close the gap as much as possible to Mercedes and hopefully keep ahead of McLaren, and then we’ll see,” he added.

Circling back to his earlier point, Leclerc detailed how the power unit remains the Ferrari outfit’s weakness in comparison to its rivals at the moment.

“But yes, I think the power unit is maybe our main weakness at the moment, but there are many other things that can definitely influence and help us close the gap in the meantime,” he concluded.

The Japanese GP witnessed the Ferrari team record their lowest haul of points from the first three races of the campaign so far, with Leclerc finishing third and teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing sixth after a torrid second stint in the race.

Earlier, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur highlighted the reason behind the pace deficit Hamilton experienced at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Scuderia Ferrari team principal, who addressed the media following the conclusion of the Suzuka race, noted how the lack of overtake mode contributed to the performance deficit Hamilton experienced.

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