Charles Leclerc concedes there’s ‘plenty to work on’ for Ferrari ahead of Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari have “plenty to work on” as the team try to find performance after Friday practice ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Having shown strong pace in Mexico last weekend as Lewis Hamilton took pole position and finished second with Leclerc fourth, the Scuderia appears to lack the outright speed of Mercedes and McLaren in Brazil.

Having missed Free Practice 1 in place of rookie driver Dino Beganovic, Leclerc was back behind the wheel in FP2 and finished P7, seven tenths adrift of Kimi Antonelli’s top time.

“FP2 was very tricky actually, if anything one of the worst feelings I’ve had this year in the car,” said Leclerc.

“There’s plenty to work on and it didn’t feel quite right but I’ve got some ideas. We’ll change the car I think quite significantly and we’ll see how it goes.

“I hope we can do a step forward because even though I missed FP1, I don’t think there was much performance in that. It’s just the raw pace wasn’t great today.”

Ferrari entered the weekend under a cloud as Leclerc and Hamilton’s intra-team battle in Mexico was a talking point in the paddock, the pair only speaking about the incident after meeting in Brazil.

While Team Principal Fred Vasseur made his feelings clear on Friday, Leclerc stated that the air had been cleared and the matter settled.

He said: “We’ve spoken, I think everything is settled and I’m looking forward for the rest of the weekend now.”

The talks had not taken place earlier as Leclerc had to rush back home to Monaco, with his wife giving birth to their first child during the week, meaning Leclerc arrived late in Brazil.

“It’s definitely the most special thing ever,” he reflected on the birth of his daughter. “You kind of expect it because I’ve always wanted to be a young dad, and with Alex we obviously felt it was the right time.

“It’s a very, very special moment and definitely a week I’ll forever remember for all the positive reasons. Of course, there’s been other things going on as well but for me this week was all about Bianca, and it’s been incredible.”