Leclerc opened his 2024 account with a first podium in last weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, one week on from team-mate Carlos Sainz also grabbing third in Bahrain.
For Leclerc, who started from second behind polesitter and eventual winner Max Verstappen in both races, 2024 has gotten off to a much more auspicious start than last year, when he retired from the season opener and Ferrari's race pace issues prevented it from mounting a challenge to Red Bull.
While Leclerc's 18-second deficit to Verstappen in Jeddah could still be seen as disheartening, the Monegasque says Ferrari's progress compared to last season is a sign that it can start putting some pressure on Red Bull if it continues that trajectory.
"It's been a positive race. I think we are doing small steps in the right direction," Leclerc said. "If I look back the last six, seven months, we are the team that has improved the most and we are slowly closing the gap.
"The gap is still quite big, but if we keep working like that, I'm sure it's a matter of time before we put the Red Bull under a bit more pressure."
But Leclerc played down making significant inroads in the short term, with Ferrari bringing a similar package to next week's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
"I don't think we'll have many things new in Melbourne, so without new things in Melbourne, I think we are doing a good job by maximising our package at the moment," Leclerc cautioned.
"So, that's where we are. We'll probably have to wait and see whenever we have new parts to the car, what kind of step we do forward. And hopefully that will bring us closer to Red Bull."
When talking to Sky Sports F1 later on about where those gains can come from, he said: "Three or four tenths is a lot in the world of motorsport.
"However, when you look at every part of the car, if you are gaining 0.010s per part then you are straight away gaining that.
"In the last few months, we are the team that has improved the most because we have been working extremely well and we just have to keep doing that, it's very clear which areas we have to work on.
"I'm sure that our moment will come. I don't know what Red Bull has in the pocket in terms of upgrades but that will define when exactly we'll be able to match them."
