Ferrari team orders ’up to Binotto’ - Leclerc

Whether Ferrari follows in title rival Red Bull’s wheeltracks with team orders is up to boss Mattia Binotto.

That is the view of former 2022 championship leader Charles Leclerc, who is confident the Maranello based team has found the cause of his turbo and MHU-H failure of Barcelona.

"I trust the team that it won’t happen again," said the Monaco local. "It’s good that we have already figured out what happened."

Actually, Ferrari is hotly tipped as the Monaco favourite, as Red Bull will not be able to deploy its straightline speed advantage on the tight city layout.

"I don’t know if we’re favorites, but I think there will be surprises," said Leclerc.

One surprise may be a change of Ferrari policy, who until now have insisted that Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have an equal shot at winning the drivers’ title.

But in Barcelona, Red Bull used team orders to enable new championship leader Max Verstappen to pass Sergio Perez, raising the question of whether Ferrari must now follow suit.

"I do not make those decisions - you should ask Mattia," said Leclerc. "I have not talked about anything or heard anything.

"Red Bull has made its intentions clear, and it is a matter of time before Carlos is more comfortable with the car. But I don’t want to depend on that either."

Finally, the 24-year-old was asked about the fact that Sunday’s race in the Principality he was born and still lives in could be the last-ever Monaco GP.

"Formula 1 is not Formula 1 without Monaco," Leclerc insisted.

"There is no other circuit that generates more adrenaline for the driver in qualifying, but the race too is a lot of fun and one of the biggest challenges for a driver."