F1 | Italian GP | Ferrari to fight drivers’ health problems and loss of pace. “McLaren is way stronger”, says Leclerc
This Italian Grand Prix will be a though one for the Prancing Horse but even if the expectations are not very high, Ferrari wants to give it all for the race.
The home race weekend is preparing to be a tough one for Ferrari. The Prancing Horse had some issues during the whole free practices and even the new format of the Sprint Race and Qualifying did not bring the result they hoped – and worked – for.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will indeed start the race in a blurry sixth and seventh position while McLaren is getting stronger and fiercer on the track. Moreover, they both had physical problems that showed up throughout the first part of the weekend. The Monegasque suffered from a sickness that prevented him from concluding FP2, while the Spaniard had a violent crash on the Ascari curve and he is dealing with the light consequences of that. Luckily, Sainz has been declared fit to race by the FIA doctors that visited him and Leclerc is recovering, even though he still does not feel at 100% percent. However, he will fight with all himself to bring home the best possible result for the Tifosi.
“Physically, I have had better days. What matters the most, though, is to give it all and do your best on the track and from that point of view I can be satisfied,” – the Monegasque declared to the Italian broadcast of Sky Sport. What worries him the most is the pace of his car, as the Prancing Horse is struggling to hold the pace with the other teams, especially McLaren.
“We have maximized our potential but McLaren is stronger throughout this weekend, – admits Leclerc – we just have to maximize our performance and get as much points as possible.”
As for Sainz, he feels more positive as he states that the Sprint Race helped him to build back his confidence with his SF21.
“I’m fine, - he says to Motorsport.com – This morning I have crashed harshly but I could feel better immediately. Luckily, my car was not that damaged, and that was my main preoccupation. I thought that I wouldn’t have been able to start the Sprint Race, but I did, and I have to thank my mechanics for their awesome job”.
It’s P6 and P7 in the #F1Sprint 🏁
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) September 11, 2021
Here’s where we’ll be lining up for tomorrow’s #ItalianGP from:@Charles_Leclerc P5@CarlosSainz55 P6#essereFerrari 🔴 pic.twitter.com/WsOp4q0Z8P
