Charles Leclerc is very happy with the race in Imola, which he finished in fourth place, as is Carlos Sainz in fifth, and team boss Mattia Binotto says dissatisfaction with the missed podium is an indicator of how much they have improved compared to last year.
Leclerc also qualified for fourth place in the second race of the season, while Sainz started only 11th after a poor performance in Q2, and they achieved an even better result in the race than in Bahrain, finishing fourth and fifth.
Along with McLaren, Ferrari is the only team to finish in points in both races with both cars, which currently holds them in fourth place in the ranking of constructors behind Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.
“It was an interesting race, although a bit frustrating, because I was in a really good place before the red flag which wiped out the advantage we had built up in the first part of the race,” said Leclerc.
“Unfortunately, I struggled after the restart, since I was vulnerable in the straights and that made it difficult to fight or defend from others.”
“In fact we had taken a bit of a gamble with some more downforce, which helped us in the rain, but made it more difficult for us when it was dry in the second part of the race.”
“Overall, I’m very happy with the performance we had today. There is definitely a lot of motivation. We are fighting for more interesting positions now and this is positive.”
“We have been working well and if we keep it up, I’m sure that we will be fighting for the top places soon.”
Sainz also had a very good race from 11th place, and despite mistakes in the first part of the race he had good speed in the second part.
“That was a very solid race today. The conditions at the start were very tricky, with very poor visibility, but I went for it and managed to make up quite a lot of positions after the start,” said Sainz.
“This was the second race and my first time in the wet with the car, which was an unknown situation for me, but taking risks and finding the limit paid off, despite losing race time with a couple of mistakes here and there.”
“My pace was very strong in the wet and also very solid in the dry, so I’m happy with that. I was quite comfortable all along, and starting P11 with a P5 finish is encouraging.”
“I just need to keep my head down and continue working in this direction, because I think it’s the correct one. Collecting solid points today was definitely good for the team and I am very pleased with the double points finish.”
Leclerc is in fourth place in the drivers ’standings with 20 points, and Sainz is sixth with six points less.
Ferrari with consecutive double points finish for the first time since 2019
Ferrari F1 team boss Mattia Binotto is pleased with their performance at their first home race of the season in Imola and says he can’t wait for the next race in Portugal.
“On a completely different track and in very different conditions to the first race of the season, this result confirms that the work we are doing is going in the right direction,” said Binotto.
“The fact we are unhappy about not getting at least one driver onto the podium is further proof of that. We can definitely say the outcome of these first two races is a positive one.”
“Not since the second half of 2019, specifically the races in Japan and Mexico that year, have we had both drivers in the points in two consecutive races. We must continue like this and show, race by race, that we know how to improve. Now I can’t wait to go to Portimão for the next Grand Prix!”
Ferrari was last on the podium at the 2020 British Grand Prix when Leclerc finished third, with Vettel bringing them their last victory at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.
