Charles Leclerc has dismissed concerns over Red Bull's pace after Max Verstappen's strong performance in the Miami Grand Prix. After initially taking the lead of the race from pole position, Leclerc's chances of victory seemed to slip away when Verstappen overtook him in the early stages of the event. From there, the Dutchman had a mostly unchallenged drive to his third win of the season, further cutting into Leclerc's advantage at the top of the World Championship standings. Ferrari appeared unable to match the pace of the RB18 at the Miami International Autodrome, but this has not left Leclerc overly worried. "The concern is not there," the Monegasque told media, including RacingNews365.com . "Of course, they've been improving. I think we all expected them to be improving. They are a very strong team, and we are aware of this, so it's not a surprise."
Leclerc confident of Ferrari's abilities
Furthermore, Leclerc believes that the Scuderia can bounce back, particularly with updates to their car incoming for the Spanish Grand Prix. "I am also confident about my team, and I'm sure that we will bring upgrades that will [bring] us back to the top," he added. "We are working well, and we've been working very well in the past few years to come back on top, so I hope that those upgrades will help us to challenge them [Red Bull] again."
Was a win realistic for Ferrari in Miami?
In terms of whether there was a point in the Miami Grand Prix where he thought it might be winnable for Ferrari, Leclerc explained: "Honestly, maybe just after the Safety Car, I thought that would have been probably an opportunity to go for it. "There was no DRS (Drag Reduction System), so it made our life a bit difficult. But apart from that, on the Medium [tyre], I think it was pretty clear that they were stronger. "On the Hard [tyre], I knew that we had the pace to challenge them. But, obviously with the gap that there was after the Medium stints, I knew that it was going to be very difficult to come back. "But, with a Safety Car for two or three laps, I believed in it. After that, once the DRS was activated, it was already starting to be better and better for Max."
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