Charles Leclerc headed the field in Monaco practice — Photo: © LAT Images

Ferrari

Ferrari to engage in upgrade race with McLaren

Ferrari warns progress on this year's car will be limited

Will Gray

Sunday 30 May 2021 15:29

Mattia Binotto has indicated Ferrari will continue with upgrades for the SF21 as its battle with old F1 rival McLaren grows in intensity.

The major rule changes for 2022 and the introduction of a budget cap this year have forced teams into a conundrum. While they must stay competitive this season, the new regulations offer much greater potential for significant gains in the future.

Ferrari is currently in a tight fight for third place with McLaren that has already indicated it will press on with upgrades this season to stave off the threat of its rivals.

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Ferrari is to follow the trend. Binotto said: “There will be some developments coming, not much but still they will be coming, so it’s step by step.

“For us, it's important to continue working and developing in the right direction as a team. There is still room for exploiting the car better, as we have shown if we are preparing well the race weekend.”

Ferrari must learn from mistakes

The most recent race in Monaco proved to be a surprise success for Ferrari, with the Italian team showing good pace from the start that allowed Carlos Sainz to secure second place.

A crash in qualifying for Charles Leclerc after setting a time that claimed pole and his subsequent failure to take the start due to a mechanical failure on his car added a low point to the highs, but Binotto is keen for the team to become better for its mistakes.

“We keep improving and even tough weekends like Monaco where we have a failure I think there are a lot of lessons learned,” he added. “That’s the most important thing.”

Asked if there will be more opportunities like Monaco, Binotto added: “There will be circuits with low-speed corners where we may be competitive but it’s not a given.

“On our side, instead of thinking which circuits we will be back competitive, we are already focused on Baku, which is the next one, and then we focus on the following [ones in turn].”