Leclerc slams favourites role for Verstappen: 'Will have upper hand'

"I mean, I think for now with what we know, I would expect Red Bulls to still have the upper hand this weekend, especially come race day," Leclerc began to say. "I think we have a particular strength whenever we have a race. I think we have a very strong strength at tracks where front graining is a thing. In Australia, it was the case two weeks ago and there we were very strong come race day."

The Monegasque continued: "I think this weekend it's less a case of front graining but more overall degradation. So there, I think Red Bull will get back to where they were before that. However, it's a very important part of the season where we need to maximise all the points that we can, which we have done," he praised his team.

Ferrari close to Red Bull

Leclerc is four points behind Verstappen in the world championship. The difference between Ferrari and Red Bull Racing is also four points, in favour of the Austrians.

"If we look at the first three races, I don't think that being only four points behind Red Bull represents our true performance. Yes, we are closer than we were in the past, but I think we've done a particularly good job at maximising what we have at the moment. And until the upgrades, which I hope will put us in a better position to fight them regularly on a Sunday, we need to bring as many points home as possible. And that's why I think our start of the season is positive for that," explained the five-time Grand Prix winner.