Ferrari experienced its worst season in 40 years in 2020, finishing sixth in the constructors’ championship.
The Italian marquee is currently fourth in the constructors’ championship, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing within the points in the first two races of the season.
Leclerc estimates Ferrari’s improvement in 2021 and isn’t too surprised at the upswing in form, but doesn’t get carried away due to the considerable deficit at Mercedes and Red Bull.
“Well, surprised, yes and no,” said Leclerc at the driver press conference in Portugal on Thursday. “Because I’ve seen all of the work that has been done over the past year to get back to where we want to be, which isn’t happening yet. We’re fourth, we’ve made a good step forward compared to last year, and I know how much everyone has worked on that factor to take a step forward from last year to this year.
“So no, it’s no surprise on this site, but it’s nice to see that all the work has paid off and we’re managing to be in better shape this year, but there is still a lot to do.”
Leclerc finished second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before dropping to fourth after losing one place to Lando Norris and then one to rapidly recovering Lewis Hamilton on the restart of the safety car.
On the subject of matching items
The Monegasque driver was encouraged by the Ferrari SF21’s performance in changeable conditions.
When asked how easy it was to keep up with Max Verstappen and Hamilton in Imola, he replied, “Oh, it wasn’t easy, not at all! But it was fun. It was good to be able to show that we seem to have taken a step forward even under these conditions, which was a weakness for me.
“But in general, too, the feeling with the car was not particularly good under these conditions last year and last year, and it felt quite good in Imola.”
On the subject of matching items
While Sainz was unable to match Leclerc’s pace in qualifying, the Spaniard seems more of a match on race day.
Thinking about his first two races for Ferrari, Sainz is sure that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“Well, pretty much as you can imagine, we are in race three on a 23-race calendar, so there is still a lot to learn and a lot to do,” added Sainz. “So far I’ve been relatively happy with the way I’ve integrated into the team, how things are developing, but I want more!
“Of course the team wants more, we all want more. I think I just have to keep working, keep my head down and things will go on like the first two races. “
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