Second at the Belgian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc believes that the Virtual Safety Car played in favor of Ferrari. The Monegasque driver nevertheless claims to have long believed he could resist Kimi Antonelli.
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Charles Leclerc secured a second consecutive podium by finishing second at the Belgian Grand Prix, two weeks after his victory at Silverstone. While the Ferrari driver is satisfied with this result, he also acknowledges that a race element allowed him to be in a position to fight for the win.
A Virtual Safety Car that came at the perfect moment offered Ferrari a perfect strategic window, allowing the Monegasque to come out in front after his pit stop. An opportunity he exploited to lead the race for several laps before yielding to the superior pace of Kimi Antonelli.
“I believed in victory until the end. We had a bit of luck with the Virtual Safety Car arriving at the right moment for us” Leclerc admitted after the finish.
Ferrari progresses despite an untouchable Mercedes
Despite the disappointment of not being able to keep first place, the Scuderia driver notes the progress shown by Ferrari throughout the weekend.
After a difficult start on hard tires, Leclerc found better feelings as the stints went on.
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“The pace was quite good. I had five or six laps where I struggled with the front of the car on hard tires, then the feelings gradually came back” explained the Monegasque.
Even if Antonelli proved untouchable in the final laps, Ferrari leaves Spa with encouraging signs.
“I felt better with the car. There is still work to do, but it is clearly a step in the right direction” concluded Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver thus leaves Belgium with a new podium and the satisfaction of having regained a more competitive performance level, even if the victory ultimately slipped away from him against the championship leader.
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