Charles Leclerc names what would be ‘a much bigger satisfaction’ than P2 in the Teams’ Championship

Charles Leclerc has confessed that he doesn’t “really care” about holding onto second place in the Teams’ Championship, with the Monegasque identifying a different goal for Ferrari to reach.

The Scuderia currently sit a comfortable 105 points ahead of McLaren, but as Red Bull have rapidly closed in on the top three, there is still a chance that the battle for P2 could last until the end of the season.

Leclerc believes that instead of prioritising the standings, they should focus their efforts on returning to victory – something they haven’t achieved since he won the British Grand Prix back in July.

Asked how important it is for Ferrari to stay second, he said: “Honestly, the most important thing for us is to focus race by race and try to get as many wins as possible from now until the end of the season, which eventually, as a result, will give us second place in the Constructors’ Championship.

“But second place in the Constructors’ Championship isn’t something I really care about. It’s obviously better than third, but it wouldn’t be a huge satisfaction.

“A much bigger satisfaction would be for us to be able to fight for wins and actually win races before the end of the year. That would also be a good sign to start next year on a high.”

Ferrari have been in contention for the top spot in recent rounds, having clinched a double podium in the Singapore Sprint before Leclerc’s challenge of Max Verstappen faded during the Grand Prix.

Their pace led Isack Hadjar to declare that they were the fastest team at Marina Bay, which Leclerc was quick to reject when speaking ahead of the United States Grand Prix.

“I don’t agree, but to each their own opinion,” he explained. “And, yeah, at the end of the day, we’ll never know, so I think maybe it’s a bit of a pointless discussion.

“But we were happy with our performance in Singapore, although we still have some steps to take. As we’ve seen, Red Bull have taken a step up over the last few races, and they’re enjoying very good momentum. It’s up to us to try to reverse that trend and get back in front.

“I’m pretty sure Mercedes will also, at some point, figure out their new upgrades and get back to where they were before, as will McLaren, which I’ve heard is bringing a significant package here.

“But it’s exciting. I think we’re all relatively close, and it all comes down to small details. We’ve got to be the team that comes out on top.”