Charles Leclerc warns Verstappen and Hamilton Ferrari will 'unlock more performance'

Charles Leclerc has piled the pressure on rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, warning Ferrari could improve in a title fight. The Monegasque claimed there was definitely more to come" and said he is identifying areas where they can "unlock more performance.

He warned development will be key" as teams try to understand the new 2022 regulations. However, he said it was down to the "drivers" to help teams to stay competitive throughout the course of the season.

Speaking to RacingNews365, he said: "I feel good in general, but there's definitely more to come. The thing I'm happy about is not really the performance but that I know exactly where I still need to work, and what I need to improve to unlock more performance.

"Whether it will be enough or not to win the World Championship, I have no idea. It's still very early on in the season, but let's say that it's a very good start to the season.

"As I said many times, I think development will be key, and we as drivers need to help the team in the best way possible to keep this competitiveness." Ferrari has been the team to beat so far with star performances in Sakhir and Jeddah.

READ MORE: Ferrari fires warning to Red Bull and Mercedes in title battle

The Italian marque has scored 78 points out of the 88 available across both races. Leclerc just edged Verstappen in a titanic battle in Bahrain with team-mate Carlos Sainz in third.

Verstappen just got the better of Leclerc last time out in Saudi Arabia but Leclerc was leading almost the whole race The Ferrari man may have had a chance to pass in the closing stages but a double waved yellow at turn one stopped him from using the DRS.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has also warned the team were still hard at work to