British Formula 1 driver Lando Norris thinks Ferrari's SF21 is a very competitive car and can't fathom why the team is being underestimated this season. McLaren driver Norris had a very difficult race in Barcelona. With traffic issues compromising his qualifying session, the English had to make do with a ninth-place grid slot a position he would finish the race in. One reason for his inability to make more progress during the race was the pace of the Ferraris, something Norris believes must be taken seriously. "The Ferraris have been good all year, I don't know why people underestimate them so much," Norris told Sky Sports. "They're Ferrari and they've been one of the quickest cars in terms of cornering all season so when you come to this track where there are less long straights and things like that, they're quick. "They've been quick all season we knew they were going to be particularly good here. On qualy pace we probably could have matched them yesterday, even though they probably had a slightly better car, but today in the long run when you kind of need a bit more rear and you have to rely on the car a little bit more then we struggle." The McLaren driver also found himself battling with his former teammate Carlos Sainz with Norris being shown a black and white flag for his attempts to hold off the Ferrari driver. "I need to look at it from the bird's eye view," Norris stated regarding the incident. "I just think I was gonna defend it to Carlos, and I moved over and then I moved again slightly which you're not really allowed to do. I didn't mean to do anything aggressive I knew he was coming past, so it was just the way it is but I didn't mean anything." Norris might have a point regarding Ferrari. The Italian team are now only five points behind their rivals and their lead driver Charles Leclerc is a single point behind the McLaren man as they battle for fourth and fifth in the driver's championship. This fight is reminescint of McLaren's dual with Racing Point (now Aston Martin) last and will surely form one of the more interesting subplots of the 2021 F1 season.
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