Ferrari drivers claim to be “closer than in Bahrain”

At Ferrari, we are taking all precautions. Charles Leclerc will take ten places minimum penalties for a change of electronic unit, having already used the two regulations from the first Grand Prix of the season, but we will also take on board a new engine. The same applies to Carlos Sainz, which will see its SF-23 No. 55 equipped with a new power unit. In Free Practice 2 yesterday, the Prancing Horse did a discreet job of long stints, not using the full capacity of the engine for fear of damaging this decidedly fragile compound. But both drivers finished almost a minute behind the benchmark time. Max Verstappen... 

« We're not bad at all, directly delays Leclerc whose 9th place in the EL2 standings was perplexing. Honestly, the feeling in the car is very good, and it's difficult to draw conclusions from the performance because everyone is on different programs on the engine, the weight... », recalls the Monegasque. We actually divided the work on the Red side, one on medium tires and the other on soft tires while the others were trying their own pace on a lap for the qualifying to come this Saturday. “ Our race pace seems better than in Bahrain so that's positive, continues Leclerc. We still have something under control. At what point ? We will see. I am sure that Red Bull is still hiding his game, so we'll see but I think we'll be closer than we are now. » 

Same story for his teammate, who feels closer to the benchmark times than in Bahrain: “ Our position does not reflect our pace, assures Sainz, who finished 10th during FP2. We look competitive on the long runs so I'm optimistic going into this weekend. Red Bull are the favorites, but Mercedes et Aston Martin are in the game with us. » Enough to place a car red on the podium, or even in first position? 

For this, the mechanics will have to hold up. With a third place almost given to him, Leclerc was forced to stop on the side due to a loss of power. An abandonment which is reminiscent of those of last season. And the Monegasque still seemed worried during the last practice session on Friday, questioning his engineer several times on the radio: “ Nothing serious, reassures Leclerc. There were certain times when I was going up a gear on the curbs which didn't put the engine in the best situation, I complained to make sure everything was okay. » Despite his penalties, Leclerc's racing pace could help him make a nice comeback. But we will have to get through the many accidents that Jeddah is often the scene of…

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