Ferrari had shown considerable improvements comparing to last season, with drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz consistently ending up in the points and  even managing a 4-5 in Imola, with the first one barely missing on the podium.

Today's race, however, was a different story. While Sainz didn't manage to score points, lamenting tyres issues and pit strategies, Leclerc recovered from his underwhelming eight starting position, achieving a sixth place.

The Monegasque driver isn't satisfied with his racing weekend, but reckons that he couldn't have higher hopes after yesterday's qualifying session: "I wasn't good this weekend, but I'm happy with the way I drove during the race. I had to recover from yesterday's performance."

"Looking at the race, I couldn't do more; looking at the whole weekend, yesterday I didn't do well," he added.

Leclerc also said that he, like others, struggled with the medium compound: "We had the potential to take the fifth place, yesterday I was the only one to blame. We still haven't completely understood the medium tyres: I drived well during the first stint, Carlos had issues during the second one. To be honest, on this track and with the wind he had issues, but it wasn't just us at Ferrari."

Leclerc concluded that, whenever he was on the same pace as Lando's McLaren's, he always had aerodynamic issues that didn't allow him to complete the overtake, and that both him and Sainz extremely struggled with graining, while it looked like it didn't affect as much their rivals.

"When we're have the same pace as McLaren's, every time we get close, under a second gap,it gets hard, and we can't overtake them for that reason," he summed up.

Not the easiest weekend. Full focus onto the next one 💪

Goodbye Portimao 🇵🇹#essereFerrari 🔴 #PortugueseGP #Charles16 #Carlos55 pic.twitter.com/Q8i2o3b1yV

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 2, 2021