Both Ferraris finished in the points only five times in 17 races last year. But the team’s new alliance between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came about at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix season opener, when the two finished sixth and eighth – and were encouraged by what they saw on the track.
Leclerc had taken the lead for the team in qualifying and achieved an impressive P4 on the grid as Sainz was P8. And although Leclerc would ultimately have to give up position in the race to Lando Norris’ McLaren and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, the Monegasque said the SF21’s performance made a useful step over last year’s car.
READ MORE: Hamilton wins epic season opener in just 0.7 seconds after a thrilling battle with Verstappen in Bahrain
“Overall, it was a good race,” said Leclerc. “In general we lacked the pace a bit compared to Lando, but otherwise it was a pretty good race and, above all, good progress compared to last year, which I want to keep in mind for this race.
“It’s only sixth, but a good result compared to last year, so I’m really looking forward to the next races.”
P6 “a nice start” into 2021 for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc
Sainz would eventually finish in eighth place on the grid two places behind Leclerc. But after being overtaken by compatriot Fernando Alonso’s alpinists and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin on the first lap, Sainz brilliantly paid back the favor against Alonso later in the race – the Ferrari newbie said his slow start was a deliberate one Decision, adding that he was encouraged by his speed at the end of the race.
WATCH: Alonso, Sainz and Vettel enjoy epic battle in Sakhir
“That’s pretty good, especially because I finished the race very well overall,” said Sainz. “I was very fast on the medium and hard tires. I got off to a bad start, mainly because of a few mistakes, but also the fact that I deliberately did it a little too easy on lap 1 just to make sure I get through lap 1 and get to know the car in dirty air.
“It’s a completely new experience, a completely new car, so I wanted to take it easy and make sure I drive the whole race. When I got out into clean air, I was honestly very quick, so I’m not going to complain, I’ll take it as a learning curve and keep improving.
Carlos Sainz took a “conscious approach” in the first race with Ferrari
“It will definitely come,” added Sainz when asked if he would increase aggression in the upcoming races.
“Mainly because it was a deliberate approach. If I was lost on lap 1 because I can’t feel the car then it’s something to worry about, but I’ve always been super good at starts with the McLaren and this is where I still want to get to know the car in dirtier Air before I started attacking like in the McLaren. So it was a deliberate approach and I’ll get to grips with it soon. “
READ MORE: Norris had “flashbacks” to the first podium as he stormed P4 in Bahrain
With 12 points from Bahrain, Ferrari took a useful P4 in the constructors’ championship as the team is now returning to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola from April 16-18.
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