Why Leclerc believes he stands a chance of beating Verstappen

After Friday's qualifying in Bahrain, the field seems incredibly close together. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is not ruling out his chances of victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen once again managed to secure the first spot on the grid, although his lead during qualifying was not very convincing. Until the end of the session, it was uncertain who would take pole position.

Charles Leclerc is positively surprised by the distance between his Ferrari and Verstappen's Red Bull. "I think it's closer than what it looks on the timesheet, but this is a good thing. We were expecting Red Bull to have a bit more margin than what there was today. So, we are a bit closer. A bit closer than what we thought, but the biggest question mark is obviously tomorrow in the race, and I'm pretty sure they have a bit more margin than what we've seen today. But again, let's wait."

Still, the Monegasque indicates that his Ferrari is a lot better than last year. So it cannot be ruled out that he has a chance of challenging Verstappen at the race in Bahrain. "Yes, the feeling is much better compared to last year. Last year, whenever we had used tyres, the car would become very, very difficult to drive. The balance would be completely out of place, compared to the short runs. This year, we are a bit more... I mean, we are in the right window now in the long runs. So, it feels quite a lot better. It helps us to be more consistent. However, again, for the competitiveness, we'll see tomorrow."