Sainz: 'I don't think we'll be the fastest there'

In 2020 Ferrari were more in the middle than at the front of the field and for 2021 the team have tempered their expectations too. The chances of seeing the Ferrari's of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the front of the field are relatively low, but there is a possibility that they could perform better than last year. This is mainly due to an improvement in their powerunit, which can be proven statistically by the winter test.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Carlos Sainz explains: "It's too early to draw conclusions, but what I can tell you is that we have more power than last year. We measure it and we see it, so that's good news." Whether it's enough to keep up with the rest, that's always the question until the season actually gets underway. After all, the other teams aren't sitting still either.

"The thing I'm pretty sure about is that the others have also gained strength, both Honda and Mercedes for example. We've seen that McLaren has an incredible top speed and we expect the others to have taken a step forward as well." But of course, there is much more to the race than just the powerplant and that is why Sainz is also somewhat cautious.

"There is of course the rear wing which takes away a lot of speed with or without DRS and of course the amount of fuel, which also takes away speed. If we can get a bit more of a grip on those variables, we can better understand where we stand when it comes to top speed." That's something one can only really see once actual racing is done.

"I don't think we'll be the fastest on the straights, I'm not going to make jokes either, we have to remember that last year we had to come from far away and this year we have to at least make a step forward," said the brand new Ferrari driver.