Charles Leclerc believes Ferrari will have a good chance to win at the Las Vegas Grand Prix as they look to close in on McLaren in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship.
Ferrari have not won a title in F1 since 2008 and trail McLaren by 36 points with three events remaining in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Last year, Leclerc fought for the win at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix but settled for second behind Max Verstappen, while Carlos Sainz suffered misfortune when he ran over a loose metal drain cover in practice, yet was forced to change his engine so had a 10-grid place penalty and recovered to sixth.
“I think on paper it’s a track where we should perform well,” Leclerc told Sky Sports News at the premiere of film Gladiator II in London.
“However, the fact we have improved a lot with tyre management, means on a track where it is so cold, it will be difficult to put the tyres in the right window.
“On paper, it still looks positive. Maybe not as positive as last year but seeing how close everything is, I believe we will have a shot to win it.”
Gladiator II is the highly anticipated sequel to the iconic 2000 film, starring Paul Mescal who will also attend next weekend’s race in Las Vegas.
Leclerc and Sainz wore custom-made tuxedos at the film’s premiere, which they have both been excited about since the last F1 race in Sao Paulo.
“Gladiator I is a legendary movie which I watched as a kid and I’ve watched it another few times,” said Sainz.
“It makes you realise what a good film it is and I’m keen to see what happens in the second one.”
Leclerc added: “We are extremely excited about the movie. I will be completely honest, I hadn’t watched Gladiator I until five days ago!”
Formula 1 returns with the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22-24, live on Sky Sports F1 where Max Verstappen could seal the championship. Stream the final three F1 races and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime