Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei
Charles Leclerc has expressed how he is relieved that Oscar Piastri suffered a moment of bad luck during the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday as it aided his and Ferrari’s cause. Since McLaren had a faster car than Ferrari in Shanghai, Leclerc believes that had Piastri’s car not suffered floor damage, the Australian would have gone past him.
After the Chinese GP, Leclerc said (as quoted on X (formerly Twitter)), “The surprise was Lando [Norris], the McLarens. I believe Oscar [Piastri] had floor damage, otherwise it would’ve been difficult to even finish P4. It [the race pace] is a bad surprise.”
View post on X
Charles Leclerc’s assessment was spot on indeed. Norris went on to secure an outstanding second podium in the 2024 season, finishing ahead of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull in second. On the other hand, Piastri in the other McLaren slipped down to P8 by the time the chequered flag came out.
Piastri got caught in a multi-car incident during the first Safety Car restart. At the hairpin, Lance Stroll’s AMR24 made contact with Daniel Ricciardo’s car. This propelled the #3 driver to hit the rear underside of Piastri’s MCL38, a contact that caused Piastri’s car to suffer floor damage.
Despite carrying a substantial loss of aerodynamic grip from there onwards, the 23-year-old McLaren driver put in a decent shift at the Chinese GP. His eight-placed finish secured four points for the team and further consolidated their third place in the Constructors’ Championship.
McLaren look to exploit the MCL38’s pace at the Miami GP
McLaren’s Chinese GP results shows that the Woking-based team is in fact trading blows with Ferrari as the second-fastest car on the grid behind Red Bull. At the 2024 Miami GP, the team now plan to introduce the first set of upgrades with a view of eclipsing Ferrari once and for all.
According to Motorsport.com, team principal Andrea Stella confirmed the specifics of the upgrades. While the updates will look to unlock further potential from their 2024 challenger, Stella is also expecting to address a huge concern for the team this year.
View post on X
He explained, “These upgrades will also include some attempts to improve tire degradation, so we will try and see if we can take a step forward.” While the team are optimistic about these upgrades, Stella did admit that their tire concerns would take more than just one patch to fix.
This is significant news in terms of the Constructors’ Championship as this year, the battle between McLaren and Ferrari will most likely boil down to development. With Miami being the circuit at which McLaren hope to draw first blood, Ferrari could have an answer ready at the very next race in Imola, with their own upgrades.
News
Taylor Swift Halts Her Edinburgh Show to Aid Distressed Fan – Refuses to Continue Until They’re Safe
Taylor Swift refused to continue performing in Edinburgh on Friday after noticing a fan in distress in the crowd. The billionaire songstress, 34, was in the middle of singing Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve to a crowd of over 70,000 in Murrayfield when she noticed…
QB Jackson Mahomes brings special present to brother Patrick, and the two men work past their issues
The Kansas City Chiefs star has helped launch a new “sports coffee” company. Patrick Mahomes has generally gotten along with his brother Jackson, but the younger sibling has put the star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback in tough positions in the past due to his…
At a basketball game, Brittany Mahomes and Travis Kelce exchange provocative denim outfits
While watching the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs on Sunday, Brittany Mahomes, 28, appeared to put a bold new twist on a tried-and-true outfit. Sitting courtside with husband Patrick Mahomes at Dallas’ American Airlines Center,…
Odell Beckham Jr. looked elegant when meeting ex-girlfriend Kardashian at MetGala 2024
No flаɡ o𝚗 tҺе ρlаy Һеɾе — OԀеll BеcƙҺаm Jɾ.’s Mеt Gаlа looƙ wаs а totаl tɾιumρҺ. BеcƙҺаm Jɾ., 31, аɾɾιᴠеԀ ι𝚗 а suаᴠе blаcƙ suιt wιtҺ wҺιtе Ԁеtаιlι𝚗ɡ аt tҺе Mo𝚗Ԁаy, Mаy 6 еᴠе𝚗t аt Nеw Yoɾƙ’s Mеtɾoρolιtа𝚗 Musеum of…
Andy Reid Stands Firm with Harrison Butker: “If They Cut Harrison, They Cut Me”
The Chiefs have been dropping hints about releasing their kicker, but Head Coach Andy Reid has made it clear that won’t happen under his leadership. The team has been under pressure due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Harrison Butker’s refusal…
Patrick Mahomes with Rugby Star Siya Kolisi and Liverpool Manager Klopp at Adidas HQ
CҺιеfs quаɾtеɾbаcƙPаtɾιcƙ MаҺσmеsа𝚗ԀLιᴠеɾρσσlmа𝚗аɡеɾJuɾɡе𝚗 KlσρρcɾσssеԀ ρаtҺs σ𝚗 Mσ𝚗Ԁаy аs tҺеy bσtҺ ᴠιsιtеԀ AԀιԀаs’ ҺеаԀquаɾtеɾs ι𝚗 Gеɾmа𝚗y. TҺе ρаιɾ stσσԀ аlσ𝚗ɡsιԀеSσutҺ Afɾιcаɾuɡby cаρtаι𝚗 Sιyа Kσlιsι а𝚗Ԁ AԀιԀаs CEоBjσɾ𝚗 GulԀе𝚗 fσɾ а ρҺσtσ, wιtҺKσlιsι ҺσlԀι𝚗ɡ а sσccеɾ bаll а𝚗Ԁ sιɡ𝚗еԀ fσσtbаll. MаҺσmеs…
End of content
No more pages to load