Leclerc feels Vettel still stronger in race trim
Charles Leclerc says he has 'quite a bit of work to do' to improve his performance in races this year, as he feels it is an area where teammate Sebastian Vettel is still stronger.
After an impressive first campaign for Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc is determined to do an even better job this year to become a regular contender for wins and even the title.
Having made notable progress in lifting his qualifying potential over the course of last season, he says the key area for now is doing better on Sundays.
Speaking exclusively to Motorsport.com in a podcast about where he had made the biggest gains and what next he needed to focus on, Leclerc said: "After the first three four races, I've seen that my weakness was more the qualifying than the race.
"So I focused quite a lot on the qualifying and did quite a big step from France onwards in qualifying, which was good to see.
"And then in the race I think I've still got quite a bit of work to do. Seb has a big experience in the race and he's stronger than me at the moment. So my work this winter is mostly on the race, to try and improve that."
Read Also:
Leclerc thinks it essential too that both he and Ferrari cut out the kind of mistakes that cost them several victories last year – especially in the early stages of the season.
"I hope, or at least I'm working extremely hard, to do less mistakes than I've done in 2019," he said about prospects for the year ahead. "I think as a team, we also need to focus on that.
"In terms of performance it is always very, very difficult to know before the first race. Actually I was going to say winter testing, but actually in 2019 winter testing went a lot better than the first race. So we will wait for the first race.
"But we've been working well, and then to see the performance we'll see a bit later on. But I feel definitely more ready than at the beginning of 2019. And I hope I'll be able to prove it on track."
The battle between Leclerc and Vettel will be a fascinating one this year after their rivalry boiled over at times in 2019 – most famously when they crashed into each other at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
But while Leclerc accepts there are times when the pair do not see eye-to-eye, he is clear that their relationship off track is much better than it appears.
"I think we are mature enough to understand that whatever happens on track, obviously we are two competitors," he said. "We both want to win and it would be wrong if it will be the other way around.
"So yeah, we want to win. We are extremely competitive and sometimes on track we might have some frictions, but at the end, we are mature enough to know that what's happened on track is on track and off track, we are different persons.
"I think the most important [thing] is that we work well together, especially off track to try and develop the car in the best way possible. And, of course, not exceed the limits whenever we are on track, like we've seen in Brazil. But I think it was a good lesson for both of us and it won't happen again."
For the full interview with Charles Leclerc, listen to the latest Autosport Podcast

Previous article
Denmark's first F1 driver Tom Belso dies
Next article
What Bottas has learned from Hamilton

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Charles Leclerc |
Teams | Ferrari |
Author | Jonathan Noble |
Leclerc feels Vettel still stronger in race trim
Trending
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.