Charles Leclerc "too comfortable" with Ferrari ahead of Baku crash

Leclerc, Ferrari, Azerbaijan — Photo: © LAT Images

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Leclerc "too comfortable" with Ferrari ahead of Baku crash

Leclerc crashed for the second time in two race weekends during practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Ewan Gale

Friday 4 June 2021 21:35

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Charles Leclerc put his Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice crash down to being "too comfortable" with his Ferrari.

The Monegasque driver damaged his front wing when he collided head-on with the barriers after locking up into turn 15, although was able to return to the pits to continue his session.

Despite the hiccup, Leclerc insisted the feeling with the SF21 was good but expects McLaren to feature more in Saturday's running.

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"I actually felt quite comfortable in the car, especially on braking... maybe a bit too comfortable and pushed a little bit too much into turn 15," said Leclerc. "In the end that is what it is for, free practice.

"I have been trying a little bit, the limit. I was on a good lap on that one but let's see tomorrow. I think McLaren are very very quick but they haven't shown it for some reason today. I feel like they are still a little bit ahead of us here.

"I am pretty sure [Red Bull and Mercedes] will be in front and it will be basically a fight with McLaren, our main competitors, so we need to make sure we do everything perfect because they are making very few mistakes this year."

Ferrari "definitely not as quick" in Baku

Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz arrived in Azerbaijan on the back of a second place finish in Monaco and the Spaniard led Ferrari's three-four in second practice to continue that momentum.

However, the Spanish driver thinks the speed has been masked by a slipstream on his fastest lap and is cautious to wait until qualifying to cast judgement on the Scuderia's pace.

"We are definitely a bit quicker than maybe what we anticipated but it is true also that I got a couple of tows in my good laps," he explained. "The long run, we didn't quite clearly see the pace so maybe the whole picture is not quite as clear as it can get.

"Probably tomorrow will be a better indicator but we are definitely not as quick as in Monaco."