Charles Leclerc says that Ferrari need to work putting a whole performance together better if they are to challenge for championships next year.

The early exchanges of the 2022 campaign saw Leclerc and the Scuderia flying and Max Verstappen and Red Bull, alongside everyone else, were left in their wake.

Unfortunately for fans of the Monegasque and the Prancing Horse, though, the championship did not end after round three and in the months since we have seen their title tilt falter on several occasions.


Ferrari fighting to take next step

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 01: Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Ferrari F1-75 on track during final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on October 01, 2022 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images,)

Plenty, then, for them to learn from this season and take into 2023 if they are to return stronger and go for both championships, with Leclerc saying the team needs to be better at putting a whole performance together over every weekend.

"We need to focus on ourselves and try to execute well the Sunday," Leclerc said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

"We have always been strong and the performance has always been good enough to fight for wins apart from some off weekends, and there weren't many.

"But it is about putting everything together – strategy and tyre management – and this is what we are fighting for at the moment and it is the step we will need to do next year in order to fight for the championship."

Leclerc can still mathematically win the championship this year but he is 102 points off of Verstappen with just five rounds left to run.

Indeed, he himself does not believe it's going to happen this season now in all honesty, with him saying:

Realistically, Max is going to be champion. If it's not this weekend, it is going to be very soon.

Focus is clearly mainly on next year for Ferrari and their drivers, then, and fans will hope the errors of this year can be learning curves for a resurgence next season.

They have clearly got a very good car but that only counts for so much in F1 and it is what you do with it that proves the difference.

Red Bull and Verstappen have ultimately done a better job this season, and that is why they're closing in on becoming Constructors' and Drivers' champions.


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