5 reasons for Ferrari fans to be optimistic about the 2021 season

The final season was supposed to be the one where Ferrari really took the fight to Mercedes and pushed them all the way up in the World Championship. Instead, they rarely challenged a podium and spent the year in midfield. However, Ferrari fans hope that this year will be different …

1. The only way is up

For the third time in the last 40 years, Ferrari ended up outside the top 4 in the constructors’ championship. The dancing horse has a harder time than any other team if it doesn’t win, that’s the expectation, and that’s why it was sixth in a campaign only two podium places unacceptable.

LONG READ: Ferrari on 2020 disappointments – and why they renewed hope for 2021

But Ferrari is arguably the team with the best resources on the grid, so a repeat of that low sixth place is unlikely, especially as Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto says they admitted their mistakes very early in the 2020 campaign and have focused on them ever since have to correct these mistakes next season.

How much can you improve when last year’s car carries over so heavily to this season? Well, all aerodynamic surfaces can change, and teams are allowed two development tokens to customize. So 2021 is a long way from being a copy and past of the previous year. Sure, this won’t be a year Ferrari can win the championship, but at least they have to meet Binotto’s stated goal of getting back into the top three.

READ MORE: “I know my time is not infinite,” says Binotto as he plans to revive Ferrari after a tough 2020

Her average finishing position in the constructors’ standings over the past 10 years was 2.6 and looking back on her history, a result like last year is more of a slip than the start of a new trend. Ferrari will hope that this will continue to be the case.

Sainz and Leclerc are Ferrari’s youngest line-up in more than 40 years

2. There is a brand new unit in the works

Ferrari was on a kind of roller coaster ride with the hybrid turbo power plants. The Scuderia opened the era with a solid but unspectacular effort before making its way up to the top and becoming class leader, only to fall dramatically to the bottom over the winter of 2019-2020 after a flurry of tech guidelines to all teams were issued.

READ MORE: Ferrari’s all-new 2021 engine delivers “promising” benchmark numbers, says Binotto

The numbers on the test bench made for a gloomy read ahead of the 2020 season. Ferrari knew it was bad, although maybe it wasn’t as bad as it turned out. Producing less power than not just Mercedes, but Renault and Honda too, was simply not good enough given the sizeable investment.

So it’s no wonder that the Scuderia’s engine managers put the 2020 unit on hold and started the upcoming campaign with a blank sheet of paper. Binotto says the numbers on the dyno are “very promising” but he’s not getting beyond himself and will carefully wait to see how it works when the SF21 hits the track in Bahrain for three days ahead of the season.

Leclerc “wanted to land on a high goal” but the car was “just not fast enough”.

3. Leclerc is getting stronger

Charles Leclerc failed to break the 100-point mark in 2020, his last record was only two-fifths of what he had done in the previous campaign. This was not the second season at Ferrari that Monegasque had hoped for after excelling in 2019 with two wins and eight more podiums and a leading record of seven Poles.

READ MORE: The future market leader Leclerc shares the “winning mentality” with Michael Schumacher, says Ferrari boss

But while the stats were disappointing, the campaign was arguably more impressive than any other he’s had in F1. In the face of a clearly missing car, Leclerc consistently outperformed the SF1000 and conveniently sent his teammate Sebastian Vettel off. On the other side of the garage, he scored three times as many points as the four-time world champion.

Binotto hailed the 23-year-old’s increasing maturity and described him as a leader who inspired his engineers and team members. That’s an impressive feat considering he only has three years of F1 experience.

Expect Leclerc to race again this year. This is reinforced by his increasing standing in the team and the trust Ferrari has placed in him with a new long-term contract. He will also seek to assert his authority with the arrival of Carlos Sainz this year, joining Ferrari’s youngest line-up in 50 years.

Carlos Sainz welcomes the “special moment” in the first Ferrari track race

4. Sainz brings a new energy

Change is good, especially when you’re trying to quickly change the direction of a juggernaut. Sainz’s arrival at the Scuderia is exactly the breath of fresh air from which the men and women in red can draw enthusiasm and impulses.

READ MORE: Sainz applauds the “special moment” as he completes the “extensive” debut test with Ferrari

Sainz made a name for himself with a brilliant two-year stint at McLaren that earned two podiums – and almost a first win at Monza. Perhaps most impressive is his commitment to throwing himself into a project and fully integrating with his colleagues. His positive attitude is contagious.

It may have only taken a couple of weeks, but the message in Ferrari suggests it feels a lot longer, that’s how seamlessly he’s settled into his new home. His rough pace on Sunday afternoon combined with Sergio Perez’s ability to get the most out of the car with remarkable consistency is exactly what Ferrari needs to heal the bruises left by the 2020 campaign.

WATCH: Sainz gets his first taste of Ferrari machines

5. Your talent conveyor belt looks healthier than ever

Red Bull’s junior program has been heralded as the best of the best for many years, like Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and of course Max Verstappen, who had immense success with the factory team – but Ferrari’s offer is now arguably the strongest school of all.

READ MORE: Ferrari uses Haas to evaluate Schumacher’s advertising potential, says Binotto

Leclerc made the move into F1 after winning F3 and F2 respectively on his first attempt and impressed Sauber so much that Ferrari gave up its tradition of driving experienced drivers and only put it in the car for its second season. This step has proven to be a success.

Mick Schumacher – a member of the FDA – will drive for Haas in F1 this season

Mick Schumacher, winner of last year’s F2 campaign, followed him into F1 this year with Haas, a Ferrari customer team. Callum Ilott, who was second behind Schumacher in F2, the Scuderia test driver, last year.

READ MORE: Ferrari test driver Ilott will receive FP1 sessions in 2021, says Binotto

With Robert Shwartzman impressing in his rookie F2 campaign to make him one of the favorites for the title this year, the Ferrari Driver Academy’s pool has never been this strong. It is clear that Ferrari is taking the program seriously, with a lot of pressure to get drivers not to race in F1 races in this year’s FP1 sessions – most likely with a customer team – nor in old Ferrari F1 cars to drive their Fiorano route.

Such a program is vital as track time in F1 machines is very high these days. And while Ferrari’s factory team will not benefit from such efforts this year, they are wonderfully prepared for the future.