Leclerc says F1 title is an ‘optimistic’ goal for Ferrari

Austin — Ferrari last won a Formula One title in 2008, but Sunday’s one-two finish in the US Grand Prix put the constructors’ championship firmly in their sights.

Race winner Charles Leclerc said as much, even if he described it as still an “optimistic” target with five rounds remaining.

McLaren are 40 points clear of champions Red Bull, with Ferrari third and a further eight behind, but the Italian team took a hefty 55-point haul from Austin — the tally boosted by a sprint weekend. That was 27 more than McLaren and 26 more than Red Bull managed, as well as being the team’s biggest single weekend score of the year.

Ferrari have outscored Red Bull in five of the past seven races but McLaren only twice in the same period.

“We’ve got to target winning the constructors’ title. It’s an optimistic goal, but that’s what we are here for,” Leclerc told reporters.

“It’s been a really good weekend for the team. Hopefully at the end of the year, when we do the math, we will have won the constructors’ title. If we do everything perfectly until the end of the season, no matter what McLaren does, if we do better than them, I think we can still clinch that title.”

Teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished second at the Circuit of the Americas, said the next race in Mexico and the Las Vegas round in November should both be good for Ferrari.

“I’m basing myself a bit on last year. This year everything seems a bit different,” he said. “I think Qatar is going to be a bit our bogey track, and then Abu Dhabi I’m not sure.

“I just hope this pace shows itself again before the end of the season and gives me another chance of going at it,” said the Spaniard, who is leaving for Williams at the end of the season to make way for seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Ferrari have won more races (247) and constructors’ titles (16) than any other team, but their last was in 2008 with Brazilian Felipe Massa and Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris said Sunday’s race was a “momentum killer” for his Formula One title challenge, after being beaten by Verstappen for the first time in five races.

The Briton arrived 52 points adrift of the triple world champion, after reducing the gap from 78 going into the August break, but departs Texas 57 behind.

On Saturday, he finished third in a sprint won by Verstappen and in Sunday’s main race he ended up fourth, despite starting on pole position, with the Dutch driver third.

Asked by reporters how much of a “killer” it was for the championship, Norris replied: “Quite a bit. It’s a momentum killer. But we came in here with our minds open, not expecting to dominate or just win or anything. Ferrari was so quick today, which showed they’re just as competitive.

“Even if I came around turn one in first, I would never have finished first or second and could only have finished third. But the one guy I need to beat is Max and that’s the guy I didn’t beat today. It was a non-successful weekend, all in all. But we gave it a good shot. I tried. It wasn’t good enough and we have work to do and I have work to do myself.”

Reuters