“Not Expecting That” – Leclerc Confused by Ferrari’s F1 Pace at Silverstone

Charles Leclerc has had a decent F1 season so far. While the Monegasque is yet to get a podium in 2021, he has been more consistent in finishing in the Top 10. Although Ferrari struggled with their race pace on a few occasions this season, today’s sprint race in Silverstone turned out to be a good one for Leclerc.

After finishing P4, the 23-year-old admitted he was happy with the unexpected pace shown by his Ferrari today.

Charles Leclerc expresses a state of confusion after P4 finish in sprint race

Although the Monegasque struggled occasionally in qualifying this season, he qualified an excellent P4 for today’s sprint race. And in the 17-lap race, Leclerc stayed in that position and kept it till the end. In fact, the 23-year-old finished just four seconds behind the third-placed Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

After a tumultuous 2020, many thought Ferrari would struggle this season. However, the Italian outfit are competing directly with McLaren for third place in the constructors’ championship this year. Leclerc has not secured a podium so far, but one may think it’s only a matter of time before that stat changes.

After today’s history-making sprint race, the 23-year-old admitted Ferrari’s pace today surprised him. While admitting nothing much happened for him today, he believes today’s sprint race had a positive outcome.

He said, “No, nothing! But it was still positive, we had the same pace as Valtteri who was in front of me. We were not expecting that to be honest, so that’s very positive.”

READ MORE: British GP Report: Verstappen Beats Hamilton Off the Line to Take ‘Pole’ as Sprint Race Format Makes a Glorious F1 Debut

Could Leclerc score a podium at the British Grand Prix?

Although Leclerc finished four seconds off Bottas in P3, he maintained that gap for the entire race on medium tires. This could give him the motivation to push for a podium finish in tomorrow’s race. Moreover, the Monegasque can draw inspiration from Max Verstappen‘s launch at the line to snatch P1 from Lewis Hamilton.

Should Leclerc manage a podium finish at Silverstone, he could help Ferrari put pressure on McLaren in a major way. However, with Lando Norris in excellent form heading into his home race, that task could be easier said than done.

WATCH STORY: Ferrari Strategy Fails We Will Never Forget