The 2022 Formula 1 world leader was overtaken by his Red Bull rival before reaching the tenth lap of the race as they battled for victory and, despite later coming close to reversing the pass after a period of car security, finally had to settle for second place in the Miami Grand Prix.
Verstappen ‘s win was the second in a row for the Dutchman this season following his win at Imola two weeks ago, so it is clear to Leclerc that the time has come for Ferrari to make some serious progress.
So far, the Maranello -based team has not made any major improvements to its car, but the team has confirmed that it has imminent developments to come.
Speaking after the Miami race, Leclerc said: “We have to keep pushing. The updates will be very important throughout the year. And I hope that soon we can take a step forward, starting from the next race. It is a fight that has been very tight since the beginning of the season.
The Monegasque driver commented that his hopes of victory were dashed quite early, specifically in the first stint, when he failed to be fast on his new medium tires like Verstappen .
And although the Ferrari F1-75 was better suited to the harder compounds, which were used in the second stage of the race, its pace was also not strong enough to give it a chance to regain the lead.
“We had quite a few problems with the medium tyres, especially in the first period, and because of that they overtook us,” he said.
“From that moment on, the race got a bit tricky. With the hard we were very competitive and towards the end of the race for a moment I thought I could catch up with Max.”
“Today they had the advantage in terms of pace. But it’s been fun. And it’s amazing to see so many people here again. I keep saying it, but yeah, it’s great to see Ferrari fans in the stands.”
The victory of Max Verstappen, who has won all the races in which he has crossed the checkered flag this season, has allowed him to reduce the deficit with Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship to 19 points after contesting the fifth of the 23 races planned in this 2022.
