It’s not that Charles Leclerc does not know this feeling. Of course, he has ever given a championship. “But in the junior classes,” said the new dominator of Formula 1 after his second season in Australia. But after three races 34 points in front of the second-placed George Russell of Mercedes and even 46 meters in front of the flavored world champion Max stappen is then a new situation – and brings him into the pole position for something very big. “We have a car that’s fast enough to race and maybe win the title. Now it’s up to me,” said the 24-year-old Monegasse.

• “Imola expects the Red King”
• Traps hounds with the reliability of his red bulls
• Binotto: “The power density is high”
• Red Bull has a weight problem

“Imola expects the Red King”

It’s not long ago, nobody believed in Leclercs Ferrari team. Claim and reality did not fit together with the Italians for years. Until this season began. Scuderia has best implemented the new aerodynamics rules and built a car that shocks the competition. “TuttoSport” named promoter Leclerc in line with his first name already in “Karl The Great”, “Corriere Della Sera” saw the “total dominance of Ferrari” and “Gazzetta dello Sport” judged: “Ferrari is like a rocket. Leclerc is a cannibal. Imola expects the Red King. Nobody brings him straight. And the World Cup is no longer a dream. “

The dramaturgy could hardly be better. In almost two weeks, the Ferrari home game is at Imola, Leclerc comes in the Red Renner with the comfortable World Cup leadership. “That’s crazy,” he said himself: “But I do not want to think too much about the World Cup lead or even a title, the season is so long.” He wool in Italy as always as always, the mood should still be unique.

Traps hounds with the reliability of his red bulls

Leclerc has managed not only to turn on the gigan-endive of stages and record world champion Lewis Hamilton, but even steal the superstars even the show. Trapped after two failures with the reliability of his Red Bulls and had to give up two lying twice. The Brite Hamilton is far away from title number eight and has problems with its Mercedes. He became fourth in Australia, but at least fourth and is five (28 points) in the total classification, far behind Leclerc (71), but still just in front of the Dutchman (25).

Much is currently reminiscent of 2014 when Mercedes began his victory train at the beginning of the new hybrid era after a rule revolution. The silver arrows released Red Bull then. Sebastian Vettel had gained the World Champion for the team from 2010 to 2013 four times in a row, according to the dramatic changes to the regulations, Mercedes dominated and won the designer WM eight times in succession. Now Ferrari with LECLERC also starts such a series because they have best implemented the complex specifications?

Binotto: “The power density is high”

“We do not think about the World Cup, because there are only three races over. We focus on every single race,” said Ferraris team boss Mattia Binotto. “The power density is high, so we have to get it perfect.” That’s exactly what the traditional racing stable is doing right now. And not only that Leclerc does not make any mistakes, his car is still steadfast in contrast to that of stages. “If you want to win, you must first come to aim,” said Binotto: “That’s why reliability is just as a key element as the performance itself.”

Red Bull has a weight problem

And Ferrari has another advantage in the duel with Red Bull. “We not only have the reliability issues, the other is the weight problem. We are well above the weight of Ferrari,” said Helmut Marko, the motorsport adviser of Red Bull. The stages team must urgently slim, but that costs money and time. “That’s a difficult situation now,” Marko said.

Therefore, much suggests that Ferrari can dominate in the coming weeks if the competition does not quickly improve its own cars. “There is no reason to believe in the title,” said stages, who prevailed dramatically against Hamilton in the previous year: “If you want to fight around the World Cup, you have to be in front of Ferrari, but you are thinking about us in many things “