Charles Leclerc Expects Ferrari ‘Bouncing’ To Return At Spa

06 Scuderia Ferrari Hungary Gp Sunday A8ffd2b2 B6f8 457c Ab16 E36e8c314ff4
06 Scuderia Ferrari Hungary Gp Sunday A8ffd2b2 B6f8 457c Ab16 E36e8c314ff4

Charles Leclerc is not feeling confident ahead of this weekend’s Belgian GP.

The Ferrari driver actually won at Spa-Francorchamps in 2019, and he also saw the chequered flag first earlier this year in Monaco.

But since then, and especially since a new floor was introduced in Barcelona, the Maranello-based team has been grappling with the return of the ground effect phenomenon known as ‘porpoising’ or bouncing.

Ferrari made a tweak to the design for Hungary, but even team boss Frederic Vasseur admits he isn’t sure if the bouncing only improved there because the circuit is low-speed.

“Spa will allow us to verify if we have done a good job over the past few weeks to mitigate the side effects in high-speed corners of the update package we introduced recently,” said the Frenchman.

“Now we will see if we have fixed it at high-speed tracks too,” Vasseur added.

Leclerc, who has generally struggled with the 2024 car more than Carlos Sainz, is not confident.

When asked if he and Ferrari might again be Monaco-like favourites in the Belgian GP or beyond, the 26-year-old driver answered: “If we continue like this with this car, I don’t think so.

“Monaco remains a very, very specific circuit. Just because we were strong there doesn’t mean we’ll be fast somewhere else. So on paper, we’re not favourites anywhere.”

However, Leclerc admitted that the floor tweak in Hungary last week was a clear improvement. “The understanding of the floor is definitely moving in the right direction,” he confirmed.

“However, the bouncing of the car remains an issue that is difficult to solve. We are making progress, but I expect it to be an issue again at Spa.”

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

More in News

James Vowles Signs New Contract With Williams

James Vowles Signs New Contract With Williams

Team Principal James Vowles has signed a new long-term contract ...
Depositphotos 160645748 S

Kyalami In Pole Position For Africa GP Return

Former F1 venue Kyalami has leapt into pole position to ...
ImolaGP GP F1 2025 on May 16 2025 at Imola, Emilia Romagna - Formula 1 — Photo by PitShots.com

Flavio Briatore Slams Suggestion Franco Colapinto Could Be Axed

Flavio Briatore has lashed out at a journalist who asked ...
Canadian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli (image courtesy Mercedes)

Kimi Antonelli Undergoes Final School Tests In Italy

While many F1 drivers walked the red carpet in New ...
F1 Grand Prix Of Canada Qualifying

Max Verstappen Skips ‘F1’ Film Event Again

While many of his Formula 1 rivals swapped overalls for ...

Trending on F1 Chronicle