F1 | Ferrari, Leclerc: “Third place in the constructors' championship is a realistic goal, but it will be a close fight”

The first two races of the season marked Ferrari's return to the top positions, with the Cavallino team achieving good performances in Bahrain and Imola. There is still a long way to go, but the SF21 has shown absolutely superior technical efficiency compared to the derelict SF1000. The goal for 2021, as underlined by Charles Leclerc, must be to fight for third place in the constructors' championship by working in parallel with the 2022 project.

"I think a realistic goal for this year would be to be behind Red Bull and Mercedes. I think it will be very difficult to fight with them, we are too far behind for now – declared Leclerc, quoted by GP Fans – But we are fighting with four or five other teams for third place in the constructors' championship, so it will be a close fight, but if we do everything perfectly I think it is achievable. Let everyone know that there is much more to be gained by focusing on 2022 in the right way".

The Monegasque, continuing to talk about future single-seaters, added: “These new cars will last much longer, for many years after 2022, so we need to be ready. I think we are preparing, as we should, for this transition. I'm not worried".

Leclerc did not miss an underlining on the SF21: "This car is a step forward, a significant step forward. We saw in Bahrain, we had better progression than other teams from last year to this year, so that's positive. The power is better, the balance in corners, the actual grip of the car is better. The whole package is better, that's good for the future. On the other hand, we are not yet fighting where we want to fight. So we are putting all our efforts into trying to get back to where we want to be, which is fighting for victory".