\u201cI am not surprised by the fact that we are missing a bit more performance going throughout the end of the year, especially considering that probably Mercedes and Red Bull are two of the teams that pushed their development a bit later than other teams,\u201d Leclerc said on Friday. \u201cIf we look at the gap compared to the McLaren, it remained kind of the same. For us, we are more focused on next year, which I hope will help us.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ferrari ended car development earlier than most rivals, instead targeting gains through fine-tuning set-up and operations. Leclerc acknowledged that the Austin podium was a much-needed morale boost. \u201cIt has been a long time, and it\u2019s good for everybody in the team to finally see a little bit of improvement,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it was a very positive weekend. Whether from now on we can consistently fight for a podium, I think it is a long shot, but I will try to make this happen again this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While Leclerc returned to the rostrum, his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton matched his best finish of the season with fourth place at the Circuit of The Americas \u2014 equalling his result from Silverstone. Still searching for his first podium with Ferrari, Hamilton said he felt increasingly at ease with the car. \u201cI\u2019m finally feeling like I\u2019m on top of the car,\u201d he said after the race, describing the weekend as a major step forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arriving in Mexico, Hamilton was upbeat about maintaining that trajectory. \u201cComing from a positive weekend... I\u2019m confident that this weekend, we can try to do the same again. I think we\u2019re on the right path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The seven-time World Champion added that progress was the result of patience and teamwork since joining Ferrari this season. \u201cI feel like we\u2019re going in the right direction, and I think \u2013 Rome wasn\u2019t built in a day, so it takes time to build,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Arriving in Mexico, Hamilton was upbeat about maintaining that trajectory. \u201cComing from a positive weekend... I\u2019m confident that this weekend, we can try to do the same again. I think we\u2019re on the right path,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cBut I do feel that they have been responding. I think you\u2019re starting to see some of the impact of the work that we\u2019re doing in the background,\u201d Leclerc said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n