Leclerc encouraged by Ferrari's racing pace in Sochi

Author of the best time in Free Practice 1 in the morning in Sochi, Charles Leclerc confirmed Friday afternoon by securing the second benchmark in EL2, still more than three tenths behind Max Verstappen on his Red Bull. 

Beyond the raw chronometric performance, the Monegasque was thrilled by the look of the SF90s in racing configuration, an area where the Team tends to fish this season. 

« The Red Bulls are very fast even if both cars have penalties for tomorrow, reported Leclerc in the Sochi paddock on Friday evening. We want to fight for pole on the track. When the Mercedes will put everything in order, they will be in the game too, I am sure of it.

I wasn't totally happy with the balance of the car but I'm happy with the day, especially the race stints as they were very positive. We have always been worse than the others in this configuration, especially in FP2. There, it was the opposite. We have to continue working to improve qualifying without compromising the Grand Prix. 

The first two sectors are very fast, while the 3rd portion is slower and winding. When you get there, your tires are no longer fresh. The balance varies quite a bit between all these sectors. We have to find the best compromise. We explored several avenues and we think we found the right path ».

As for the weather forecast which predicts a wet qualifying session on Saturday, Leclerc did not seem very worried. 

« The last time it rained was at Hockenheim and the pace was satisfactory even if I unfortunately ended up in the wall (laughs), he concluded, referring to the German Grand Prix where he was trapped. I hope it goes better this time if it rains ».