“Last year was definitely a difficult season, to accept where we were” – Leclerc
The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have spent the first leg of the season showing the vast improvements made on this year’s contender – the SF21.
The pair finished out the Spanish Grand Prix with Leclerc in P4 and Sainz in P7 – bringing home a healthy 18 points for the Maranello based team – and currently sit 4th in the Constructor’s Standings.
Speaking about the improvements made over the winter break, the outfit’s 23-year-old Monégasque driver said this year’s improvements are proof that the team are certainly moving in the right direction in 2021.
“Last year was definitely a difficult season, to accept where we were,” he said after the Spanish GP at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Great drive from @Charles_Leclerc yesterday 💪
Next stop: #MonacoGP 🇲🇨#essereFerrari 🔴 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/kmH3sstRJZ
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 10, 2021
“But I think the team has done a great job by accepting pretty quickly that we had done a step back, and then we’ve been working in the best way possible.
“I think since that moment onwards, and this year, we can see that the team has done a great job by just making steps in the right direction.
“It shows that all the work that the people have done in Maranello, and that we have also done at the track, is paying off, and we can see it at the track.
“The road is still long and we want to be fighting for the first positions very soon.”
Meanwhile, Formula One Managing Director, Ross Brawn, also highlighted Ferrari’s strides of improvement this season, and spoke about the fact that Leclerc manages to make the most of the SF-21 at every race.
Speaking about the prancing horses’ potential as the season drives on, Ross Brawn wrote:
“With everything that is going on at the sharp end, it’s easy to overlook some of the other very good drives that were going on. Charles Leclerc delivered one of those.
“There’s no doubt that car is significantly better than last year, and Leclerc is getting every bit of pace out of it – and then some more – each time he gets in the car”, he continued.
“It’s not going to take a lot more for Ferrari to be knocking at the door of the top two. And that’s quite remarkable given where they ended 2020.
“The team is operating on a very high level – and they have a package that has proved it is quick at a variety of different circuits.
“On track, the car looks good – you don’t get the feeling it doesn’t deserve to be where it is.”
Weighing in on the extensive improvements, Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto hailed his “great and capable team” saying;
“It will take time to become even stronger, but I think that this team is great and capable, and I’m pretty sure that can give us great satisfaction.
“Beyond expectations, I’m not sure is the right answer, but I’m pretty pleased, because it’s a great result for where we were last year.”
