Heading into the race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, the Maranello squad has quickly tempered high public expectations regarding the new upgrade package brought to Austin. Charles Leclerc and his teammate have insisted that the new components on their cars are not as massive as the paddock rumors suggested.
Scuderia Ferrari arrived in Texas with what appeared to be a substantial update featuring a new floor alongside modified sidepods and bodywork aimed at reducing aerodynamic drag. However, the drivers are keen to keep expectations firmly grounded.
Speaking during the pre-event press conference, Leclerc asserted that the technical adjustments to his car have been overhyped by various circles. He clarified that the modifications represent a modest step forward rather than a game-changing revolution.
"Well, actually they are not that major upgrades that many... I mean, I’ve heard quite a lot about them, but they are not as big as maybe what’s going around. It’s a small step in the right direction, obviously, as always, that’s the target," Leclerc stated.
The Monegasque driver noted that rival outfits are introducing much larger packages this weekend, meaning Ferrari will have to wait until the opening laps on track to truly gauge their competitive standing relative to the opposition.
Echoing his teammate's sentiment, Lewis Hamilton went as far as to describe the update as negligible, stating it would barely be worth a fraction of a tenth of a second per lap while acknowledging their persistent deficit on straight-line speed.
"It’s less than a tenth, it’s like half a tenth, so I don’t think that propels us forwards to be able to necessarily challenge that deficit," Hamilton explained, emphasizing the sheer difficulty of matching their rivals' current straight-line performance.
Despite the modest figures on paper, Leclerc remains optimistic that the intense battle among the top four teams means even tiny increments can shift the intra-group hierarchy on any given weekend.
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