Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have formed a successful alliance as teammates at Ferrari, resulting in a fruitful partnership.
Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz offered differing views on how they feel the team may do this weekend.
Leclerc expressed his belief in our team’s strength, whereas Sainz advised caution regarding the SF-24’s capabilities, stating that it is more suitable for circuits with high-speed corners.
Ferrari drivers assess Monaco Grand Prix chances in different ways
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
While Leclerc is looking to secure his first podium at his home race, a three-place grid penalty last year putting paid to any chance of that after a run of bad luck at Monaco.
But having set a time good enough for pole in 2021 and a strong car underneath him this season, he hopes the upgraded Ferrari can challenge at a track where qualifying is crucial.
“Monaco is such a unique circuit that we have to approach it with a fresh perspective. The practice sessions are crucial for gradually finding our rhythm and pace. However, I have faith that we will excel,” Leclerc expressed optimistically before the weekend.
“Monaco holds a significant place in my heart. Although it hasn’t been the most triumphant race for me in the past, I have always maintained a strong pace, which instills in me the belief that this year will be no different.”
“The positive aspect is that all our expectations regarding the upgrades in Imola were met. The data confirmed that it performed exactly as intended, which is certainly a favorable outcome.”
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“We seemed to adopt a slightly distinct power strategy during Imola qualifying, which unfortunately cost us dearly on the way to Turn Two. Adding to the challenge, Max also had the advantage of slipstream. Nevertheless, we need to thoroughly examine this matter as track position holds utmost importance, particularly on a circuit like this.”
“When the gap between Red Bull, McLaren, and us is just a tenth, we must strive for perfection in everything we do.”
Regarding Sainz, he believes that Ferrari is competitive with the other leading teams during the race, but he acknowledges that Red Bull and McLaren have a slight advantage in qualifying.
The challenging nature of the Monaco circuit would hinder the Scuderia’s performance in the race. The driver believes that the current car is more suitable for circuits that have a greater number of medium and high-speed corners, as opposed to the narrow and twisting layout of Monte Carlo.
After crossing the finish line in Imola, Sainz expressed to the media, including PlanetF1.com, that he believed Charles demonstrated impressive speed, which ultimately kept us competitive in the race.
“We appeared to be capable of competing with these guys, but in qualifying, it appears they have a slight edge over us. This is something we must investigate and continuously improve upon, as there will be circuits where strategy and overtaking opportunities are limited, as we witnessed in Imola. Enhancing our performance in single-lap speed is crucial. Nevertheless, it’s positive to observe that we maintain a strong race pace.”
When questioned about his chances in Monaco specifically, he replied, “Qualifying is crucial, so we will assess what we can achieve there.”
“This package is not optimized for Monaco or other high-speed tracks, so I don’t anticipate any significant breakthroughs.”
We must ensure that we thoroughly examine the details of what we observed [on Saturday] from my section of the garage, and carefully consider the possible explanations for it.
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