Charles Leclerc disappointed with Ferrari in Belgium

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has candidly expressed his disappointment with the team's performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, despite securing his best result since his 2024 Monaco victory.

The Monegasque driver's fourth-place finish, later elevated to third following George Russell's disqualification, has done little to mask the growing concerns within the Scuderia camp.

Unexpected pace deficit

Ferrari entered the Spa weekend with high hopes, having worked diligently to improve their performance in high-speed corners.

Leclerc's stunning second-place finish in wet qualifying seemed to validate these efforts. However, the dry race conditions exposed a harsh reality for the Italian team.

"It's very simple what happened – we were just not fast enough,"

Leclerc stated bluntly.

"I felt like we were the fourth fastest car today. McLaren and Red Bull was expected. Mercedes was faster than expected."

This unexpected pace deficit to Mercedes has raised alarm bells within the Ferrari garage.

The team, which started the season as Red Bull's closest challenger, now finds itself slipping behind both McLaren and Mercedes in the performance hierarchy.

A step backwards

The Belgian Grand Prix results have left Ferrari questioning the effectiveness of their recent developments.

Leclerc's teammate, Carlos Sainz, echoed these sentiments, suggesting that the team has not made the progress they had hoped for.

"When you see the pace of Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren in the race, I don't think so,"

Sainz remarked when asked if Ferrari had taken a step forward.

"I think still the two or three tenths [difference]."

The Spanish driver's observations highlight the growing gap between Ferrari and their rivals, a concerning trend that has persisted since their Barcelona upgrades backfired earlier in the season.

Struggling with bouncing

Adding to Ferrari's woes is the persistent issue of bouncing that has plagued the SF-24 since Barcelona.

Leclerc reported increased bouncing towards the end of the race as fuel loads decreased and lap times improved.

"There was more bouncing at the end of the race, so more we were pushing in the high speed, obviously more struggles we have with it,"

Leclerc explained. While he maintained that the issue "wasn't crazy," it's clear that this ongoing problem is hampering Ferrari's ability to extract maximum performance from their car.

As Ferrari looks to regroup and address their performance deficit, the team faces a crucial period in the 2024 season.

The unexpected pace advantage demonstrated by Mercedes at Spa has added another layer of complexity to Ferrari's development plans.

Leclerc's frank assessment of the situation underscores the urgency within the team to find solutions.

"I don't consider this result a very positive one,"

he stated, emphasizing the need for significant improvements if Ferrari hopes to challenge for podiums and victories in the upcoming races.