Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc qualified fourth overall for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix. The Monegasque Grand Prix winner said the pace of his Ferrari SF21 car surprised him in a good way. After enduring a torrid time in 2020, Ferrari look to be inching their way back to the front of the grid. The Italian team have made significant progress with respect to their engine and their drivers took full advantage of this fact by qualifying fourth and eighth. Leclerc however is refusing to let this result go to his head. "We know now where we are in terms of qualy pace and it’s a pleasant surprise," Leclerc said after the qualifying session to F1.com "We didn’t expect to be here, but today we need to keep our feet on the ground. It’s only the first qualy of the year and it’s run in very strange conditions. I think we should be satisfied as a team with the step we made since last year, so to be so far forward on the grid feels great. "I have been struggling in FP2 and FP3 as I could not find the feeling with the car but I worked quite a lot on the driving and in qualy I was actually quite confident I would be able to do the lap I wanted." Leclerc also elaborated on his expectations for the race, saying he felt confident going into the first race of the season. "I feel confident for tomorrow but it’s going to be difficult as other cars around us seem to be very strong in terms of race pace and are starting on mediums," Leclerc said. "It’s going to be tricky to keep them behind. Also, it’s not going to be easy because of the wind, but that’s the same for everyone." Ferrari would have been delighted to have both their cars into the Q3, however, as touched on by Leclerc the team remains a far way off from challenging either Mercedes or Red Bull.
Most read
