"It's looking good": Charles Leclerc optimistic of his chances in 'very special' Monaco GP

However, he also expressed optimism about what the team may accomplish as the season goes on. Leclerc appeared to gather up speed following his pit stop for the hard compound, which allowed him to pass Lando Norris for P2 as the race entered its final stages. Leclerc had started the race on the medium tyre from P3 on the grid.

Leclerc managed to hold on to third place, marking Ferrari's first podium result at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari since 2006, but this challenge cooled as Norris moved ahead to cut into Max Verstappen's advantage at the front.

"At least it's a podium. I'm only very happy when I win and today we didn't quite make it. We were very fast at the beginning of the stint on the hard [tyre]. I started to push to try and put some pressure on Lando [Norris], but later on they were incredibly quick. All in all I think the race pace today was quite strong," Leclerc said as quoted by Formula 1.

"We lacked here yesterday in qualifying. After looking we [found that we] missed [pace] on the first straight especially, which we'll look into. On the rest of the lap we were quick, so it's looking good for the rest of the season, but it's incredible anyway to be on the podium with all the Tifosi here in Imola," he added.

After the short break, the 2024 season will continue at pace next week with the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc's home event.

Talking about whether things are looking good for Ferrari, Leclerc is optimistic and said, "Yeah, Monaco is going to be very special of course, as special as here in Imola. Obviously, there is a lot of red, and it's always amazing to see that."

Teammate Carlos Sainz's P5 finish puts the Scuderia in second place in the constructors' standings with 212 points, while Leclerc surges to the top of the drivers' championship with 113 points, six points ahead of Perez in third as Norris closes the gap on the Mexican in fourth. (ANI)