Leclerc: We are the fourth-fastest car at the moment

Ferrari had a decent start for their 2024 F1 season, Carlos Sainz winning in Australia and multiple podiums with Leclerc taking their second win in Monaco, but since then it went downhill for the Italians.

A major upgrade at the Spanish Grand Prix backfired as the SF-24 started bouncing, which forced Ferrari to revert to the older specification until a new floor was brought to Hungary.

However, despite Leclerc doing well to go second fastest in the Belgian Grand Prix, after which he inherited pole from Max Verstappen who served a grid engine penalty, Ferrari seem to have work to do.

In the race at Spa-Francorchamps, Leclerc raced to fourth, which became third after George Russell was disqualified, and while that means he goes into his break with a podium finish, the Monegasque was not content with his SF-24's performance.

Speaking after the Belgian GP in Ferrari's race report and before Russell's disqualification was announced, Leclerc said: "I cannot be too happy with today’s race.

"We had expected to be on the same level as Mercedes. On the positive side we managed to keep the two Red Bulls and one McLaren behind us.

"I had hoped for a better result going into the holidays, but that’s how it is and at least I know I got everything I could out of the car," he added.

Leclerc's words confirm Ferrari's current form, something he elaborated on while speaking to the media after F1's final grand prix before the break.

He said: "I feel like we are the fourth-fastest car at the moment. I mean, the first part of the year for us was, for the first half, pretty positive; the second half struggling a bit more, trying to fix the issues.

"We are just going to try and recharge our batteries during the break, come back, try and analyze, and hopefully bring new parts as soon as possible on the car to be challenging for wins again," Leclerc concluded.

Leclerc is currently third in the 2024 F1 Drivers' Championship, 100 points behind leader Verstappen, and 22 points behind second-placed Lando Norris. Ferrari are third in the Constructors' Championship.