Leclerc: 'A lot of work to do before we can get back in a proper fight'

Ferrari had an encouraging day at Albert Park on paper, with Charles Leclerc finishing the second free practice in second place behind Fernando Alonso. The Monegasque was faster than Max Verstappen in his Red Bull, but Leclerc is not letting the result overwhelm him.

Practise in Melbourne was disrupted by rain, with drivers not going full out as a result of the conditions. Regardless, Leclerc's overall feeling was positive, as reported via a press release from his team: "We explored quite a few set-up variations today, which was interesting as it felt like we were going in a right direction. That doesn’t mean that we have the same pace as our competitors, as they still seem to have the upper hand for now. There is still a lot of work to do before we can get back in a proper fight but we will put all our energy in making further steps forward."

Useful for the team

Carlos Sainz got no further than fifth place in FP2 in the wet conditions. "This Friday was a bit compromised by the rain in FP2, so we decided not to do many laps in the rain, choosing instead to start preparing everything for tomorrow. On the other hand, FP1 was very useful for the team. We went through very different set-up configurations, trying to improve the feeling with the car and to get to understand the current package a bit more. We are pushing hard to maximise everything." 

Ferrari revealed earlier that they are not expecting any momentous change in pace this weekend in what has been a difficult start to their season. The team is said to be coming up with significant updates at Imola in May to make their car similar to the Red Bull.