Seven and a half points: this is the gap between McLaren and Scuderia Ferrari at the end of the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, with six races to go until the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season. At Istanbul Park, Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc attempted to win the race by finishing the event without a tyre change, but eventually had to settle for fourth place after extending the first stint with intermediate tires, while Carlos Sainz climbed up to eighth place behind former McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who was seventh and best McLaren driver at the end. Daniel Ricciardo was out of the points and never really involved in the race.
In light of what could be seen in Turkey, Ferrari should have no major problems in overtaking McLaren in the constructors’ standings, with the Woking team risking to pay dearly for the rain that fell in the final in Sochi, an event that led to a wrong strategy. Lando Norris otherwise were very close to a success that would have been the second in a row for McLaren after the double scored at Monza. With this upgraded power unit in the hybrid system, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have shown they can not only beat McLarens, but also look forward to ‘annoying’ Mercedes and Red Bull.
Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto underlined the importance for the Maranello men in red to fight for a specific goal, a test in view of the 2022 Formula One season to learn how to work under stress: “Third place is our goal – the words of Mattia Binotto reported from the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport – it is important for us to learn to work under pressure to reach and achieve a specific goal.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
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