Scuderia Ferrari has renewed hope going into the Canadian Grand Prix following a successful second practice run on Friday, as Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap times in the afternoon session, beating out Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
The Italian side is looking for its first victory of the season after six races, all won by Mercedes. However, despite topping the timing sheets in FP2, Charles Leclerc said that he does not think that pole will be in their reach tomorrow, as the Monegasque driver added that the Maranello team are not on Mercedes level when it comes to the longrun nor on one lap:
“It has been a positive day,” said Charles Leclerc, the first-year Ferrari driver. “The steps we took from FP1 (free practice) to FP2 have been very good. Now we need to do the same into qualifying. The car felt better but we need another step to challenge Mercedes tomorrow. I still believe that Mercedes is quicker than us. Today doesn’t give the full picture.”
Charles Leclerc, the Monaco driver who was forced to retire from his hometown race two weeks ago, led the way in the afternoon practice at one minute 12.177 seconds while his German teammate Sebastian Vettel nabbed the second-quickest lap at 1:12.251. Ferrari’s comeback bodes well for a competitive race weekend in a season that’s been controlled by Hamilton and Bottas.
Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which boasts several long straightaways, favours a Ferrari car that is generally faster than Mercedes in flat-out speed on the straightaway. However, Charles also reported that the SF90 is overheating the medium tyres:
“FP1 has been difficult, FP2 I think we improved, but again I still expect Mercedes to be the strongest car around here. We need to work. It’s not because we did 1-2 today that it will be the same tomorrow so we need to work and try and improve.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded.
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