Formula One F1 - Italian Grand Prix - Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy - September 1, 2024 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc celebrates on the podium after winning the Italian Grand Prix REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo/ File Photo
MONZA, Italy (Reuters) - Ferrari are still behind McLaren on pace but Charles Leclerc believes the next two races in Azerbaijan and Singapore could be good for the team after Sunday's Italian Grand Prix victory.
The Monegasque won at Monza with a bold one-stop tyre strategy after McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris pitted twice.
That was the Italian team's first win since Leclerc triumphed at home in Monaco in May, and third of the season.
Ferrari took the most points, 37 compared to McLaren's 34 and Mercedes' 16, and are now only 39 behind fading leaders Red Bull, who are eight ahead of McLaren.
"I still think McLaren are the favourites but we have done a step forward that's for sure and Baku is a pretty nice track for me," Leclerc told reporters.
"I quite like this track and I've been quite competitive in the past, so who knows maybe we can achieve something special again there."
Ferrari brought a special wing to super-fast Monza as well as an upgrade package, which also helped close the gap. But Leclerc was only fourth on the starting grid, with team mate Carlos Sainz fifth.
Sainz triumphed in Singapore last year, the only race champions Red Bull failed to win, and finished fourth at Monza. He won in Australia in March.
"I don't think it's enough to be the car to beat for the rest of the season on other tracks," said Leclerc of the upgrade.
"Before this race, I don't think I was seeing myself challenging for wins anywhere else. Maybe Singapore. Singapore maybe could be a strong track for us. On the other tracks, I still feel like we are a step behind McLaren and Red Bull.
"But today we've seen that we can be very on a par with McLaren if we do everything perfect.
"Have we done a step forward? Yes. Is it enough to go and win races until the end of the season? I don't think so yet, but we did a good step in the right direction.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
