'I will fight until the very end', said Charles Leclerc when he was asked about the possibility of Ferrari winning the constructor or the driver's championship this year. The prancing horse is currently running 3rd in the constructor's, 34 points behind Red Bull with McLaren currently leading with 516 points. In the driver's championship, Leclerc is 34 points behind Lando Norris and 86 behind Max Verstappen. But the big question is: Will Ferrari give Leclerc a capable enough car for him to challenge for the title? Will luck favour Ferrari and Leclerc?

A WOBBLY START COMES BACK TO HAUNT THEM

There's no 'recent resurgence' when it comes to Ferrari. Their whole 2024 campaign has been inconsistent. At one point it was looking like they were going to challenge Red Bull for the title when Leclerc won his home Grand Prix in Monaco. But they have fallen well short in the race for the most powerful upgrades. Yes, Ferrari won again in Monza, but it's safe to say that Ferrari strategists ate something else that day to produce a masterclass. McLaren was still the fastest car.

What is actually going unnoticed is how ridiculously Charles is outperforming the car in recent times. Podiums after podiums on tracks where even Mercedes came to the party is nothing short of spectacular.

CAN FERRARI DELIVER?

It's safe to say that Charles Leclerc is PEAKING right now. He had the pace to win the Singapore Grand Prix before Ferrari made an absolute blunder with the tires. This one-month-long break must've given them ample time to bring some new upgrades. But you never know. Ferrari is the definition of unpredictability. On one weekend they are the team to beat, on another they are fighting Aston Martin. It's tough on the drivers and the fans.

Leclerc mentioned in a recent interview before the USGP weekend that targeting constructor championship will be more realistic. Leclerc is not wrong nor is he saying anything illogical. Firstly, both Sainz and Charles are finishing above top 5 almost every weekend. Secondly, Pérez is just not performing. Due to this, McLaren has already jumped ahead and Ferrari not too behind.

FERRARI'S REBIRTH: RED BULL'S DEATH SENTENCE? 

Red Bull has their own other-worldly problems that have to be addressed immediately. It's not every season that you see a team so dominant for the past two years fall midway like this. Max Verstappen has openly admitted that he doesn't think he's assured of a 4th world title as of this moment.

It doesn't get any better by the fact that Ferrari and Mercedes are leaving no stone unturned and are keen on finishing this season on a high. Helmut Marko is using every tactic that is left to stop McLaren from further progress. This psychological warfare between Red Bull and McLaren can benefit Ferrari if they are aware of it. Right now Red Bull are not even considering Ferrari as a threat even when they are so close. This makes Scuderia the ultimate underdogs. They really have to attack Red Bull and McLaren like a unit to even have a chance to beat them. It's going to go down to the wire. It's going to come down to the last race.

RELYING ON THE CURRENT PACKAGE ONLY?

Carlos Sainz confirmed that Ferrari will not be bringing any major upgrades in Austin, which is surprising as the trio of Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes all are poised to pick up the pace. Ferrari is insisting on the fact that their recent trend of bringing minor upgrades depending on the track is a winning formula. Whether this formula would've worked in Singapore or not is a thing of the past

But the scarlet red relying on only minor upgrades is concerning on the surface, and quite unsatisfying deep beneath. Sprint race returns this weekend and that will tell us even before Sunday which team has gained how many tenths.

LECLERC LOOKS OPTIMISTIC 

Charles Leclerc is feeling positive ahead of the United States Grand Prix. He said that he expects McLaren and Red Bull to be at the top but the latest upgrades on Ferrari will show the real picture as to where they stand. Leclerc expressed optimism while saying that he expects Ferrari to perform well at COTA. Race pace should be up there if the qualifying pace will be improved or not remains to be seen. 

Catch the live action of the UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX:

20th October : Race: 2:00 PM (TRACK TIME)

19th October: Qualifying: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM (TRACK TIME)

19th October: Sprint: 1:00 PM- 2:00 PM (TRACK TIME)

18th October: Sprint Qualifying: 4:30 PM - 5:14 PM (TRACK TIME)

18th October: Practice 1: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM (TRACK TIME)

Check out the latest digital F1 wallpaper and stickers available for free in the products section.