Rating the Scuderia Ferrari F1 drivers’ weekend out of 10 as strategy and skill came to the fore at the Spanish Grand Prix:
Charles Leclerc: 9.5
Qualified 4th, Finished 4th
It probably won’t be until next year at the earliest, but Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc is certainly going to be worth watching when the Maranello team will finally return to competing for Formula 1 race wins.
The Italian side’s improvements in the 2021 Formula 1 season are real but at the same time still not enough to propel them back in the hunt against their two big rivals, yet Charles Leclerc is certainly consistently pushing the SF21 car as close as he can get it to the grid’s upper echelons.
For the third time already this season, Charles Leclerc took fourth in qualifying and here he was also able to convert into fourth at the flag on race day – nine seconds ahead of Sergio Perez’s out-of-position Red Bull. His lap-one around-the-outside overtake of Valtteri Bottas at Turn Three was top class too.
Carlos Sainz: 7
Qualified 6th, Finished 7th
Charles Leclerc showed the potential of Scuderia Ferrari in the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, but Carlos Sainz just was not able to replicate his team-mate – made to rue a tiny 0.1s deficit in qualifying and then a difficult start, which dropped him down to eighth.
However Carlos Sainz impressed from there, but in the end was not able to execute a critical overtake on Daniel Ricciardo despite appearing to have a faster car. He can, however, take solace from the fact the margins between him and Charles Leclerc are so small after just four races with his new team.
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