British GP : Post-Race reaction from Leclerc and Ferrari

Charles Leclerc took his first podium of the 2021 season at British Grand Prix after a superb drive from fourth on the Grid to finish the race in P2.

The Ferrari man took lead of the race in Lap 1 after the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, which forced championship leader Max out of the race.

Leclerc was two laps away from a impressive win, but Ferrari’s lack of pace compared to Mercedes was evident and Lewis Hamilton overtook Charles in Lap 50 to break Ferrari fans hearts.

Nevertheless Leclerc was voted by fans as driver of the day for his drive from P4 to P2 in a chaotic race. Today’s podium marks 13th of his career, unlucky 13?

Carlos drove a good race and for the second time in two days, he had a great climb up the order. The Spaniard also looked competitive on the Medium tyres, to the extent that he got ahead of Ricciardo by running a longer and faster first stint than the Australian.

Unfortunately, a technical problem at the pit stop cost him a lot of time and he found himself once again behind the number 3 car. The Spaniard soon caught up to Ricciardo again, but lacked the top speed to get past, making for a frustrating final part of the race.

Scuderia Ferrari leaves Silverstone with its head held high. On a track that, on paper, should not have suited the SF21, the team came away with its biggest points haul of the season courtesy of a second place for Charles and a sixth for Carlos.

Charles Leclerc (P2)

“We have to look at the positives in this type of situation, despite the disappointment of losing the win in the closing laps. It was a challenging race for me. In the first stint, I had to make some changes on the steering wheel to manage the engine cuts I had. After that, I felt that we had it under control. I managed to pull away from the others and lead for the majority of the race.

Unfortunately, Lewis was just more competitive on the Hards. I could feel his pace as he approached me and there was not much I could do. On the upside, we were quicker than anyone else on the Mediums, which we did not expect. It was impressive. On the Hards, we had a little bit less of an advantage, but still showed a great pace.

I am very proud of how we have been working. The team has done an incredible job and fully deserves this podium. They also deserve a win, so we will keep pushing to make it happen if we get the chance.”

Carlos Sainz (P6)

“Not the greatest race for me, but in general a very good result for the team and many positives to take away. Today our car was strong, the balance was good, and our work with the set-up is paying off. Two good starts put me in a position to fight with Ricciardo, but passing the McLaren on track proved to be incredibly difficult. The dirty air through the corners meant I couldn’t get close enough and we were lacking a bit on the straights. Once he pitted, my pace in clean air was super strong and I managed to virtually overcut him before my stop. Unfortunately the pit stop was slow.

The team has been great at pit stops all year and these things can happen. I tried my best to overtake the McLaren during the second stint but we faced the same problem and in the end we came home in P6. A big congrats to Charles, who nearly managed to secure a win for the team! This race gives us a good feeling for Hungary and for the second part of the season. We keep pushing.”

Matteo Binotto, Team Principal

“This was a positive Grand Prix for us, not just because of the result, but mainly because of the progress the team has made. After the race in France the whole group reacted well. We know we are not yet at the point to be fighting for the top places on a regular basis, as there are two cars that are faster than ours. But it’s important that we are working in the right direction. 

Charles drove a fantastic race, following on from excellent performances on Friday and Saturday. I can understand his disappointment because it hurts to lose a win in the closing moments of a race, but he should be pleased with what he achieved over these three days.

Carlos drove a solid race. It was a shame that a technical problem with a wheel gun at the pit stop cost him at least one place. Now we are looking ahead to the next race in Hungary. It’s a very different type of track to this one and we will be looking to confirm the progress seen over the past few races.”