Charles Leclerc says Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix could be another “opportunity” for Ferrari to beat Red Bull after its victory in Monaco.
Leclerc, who became the second driver to beat Max Verstappen in three races, said the Montreal circuit might be another that does not suit the Red Bull car.
Leclerc said: “Monaco was particularly favourable (for Ferrari). Maybe it is neutral here.”
“I don’t think that this highlights Red Bull’s strength too much. So it could be another opportunity for us.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris, who edged Verstappen’s Red Bull into second place in Miami last month, said he believed Ferrari were the “favourites” to win in Canada. “But it will be close,” he said.
Both Norris and Leclerc believe the Red Bull’s limitations on the kerbs – one of the main reasons for its lack of speed in Monaco, where Verstappen only managed sixth place – could again be a weakness at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.
Leclerc said: “I don’t think their strength is driving on the kerbs and there is quite a lot of that here.”
Rain is also forecast in various places over the weekend.
Verstappen said: “It was always clear to me that Monaco would not be an easy weekend. We had a good direction in which we wanted to work. It takes time, step by step. We will try to improve that.”
“It’s a good opportunity to achieve a performance that we didn’t initially think about. It will give us a lot of lap time and we’re putting a lot of work into it.”
“We still have a fast car, but some tracks just suit us a little better than others. It’s not just the track layout that matters, but also the weather and how wet it gets.”
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