Fiesty Leclerc looks to punch above Ferrari's weight in Bahrain

20:51, 11 Apr

Updated: 22:03, 11 Apr

byNorberto Mujica

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have reacted to FP2 in Bahrain, which saw them finish well off of pace setters, McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

"The temperatures are so much higher than during testing here, so FP2 was tricky. The feeling in the car is completely different and we have to adjust the car to suit it," said Leclerc in a Ferrari press release.

Leclerc hungry for more in Bahrain

The Monegasque is knowns for his strong outings around the Bahrain track, with him almost snatching his first F1 win at the Sakhir International Circuit, and eventually taking the top step of the podium in 2022, leading former teammate Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari 1-2.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the Grand Prix weekend, he is motivated to make up on the ground the Scuderia have lost to McLaren.

"We will work on that tonight and try to optimise the setup. I’m trying to push in a direction that will allow me to extract the most out of the car for my driving style. With our competitors ahead of us by quite a bit, I’m motivated to close that gap as soon as possible.

"We have to focus on maximising the potential of our car. I think we can still find some performance ahead of qualifying and we will do everything to extract the most from our upgrade. Let’s see where that will place us tomorrow," concluded Leclerc.

Hamilton has to 'work hard to close the gap'

"FP1 was quite tricky. The heat made it difficult to find grip, so it wasn’t the most representative session for us," said the Briton in the Ferrari press release, dismissing the results during the first practice session.

"FP2 was a step forward," judged Hamilton despite being a long way away from Piastri and Norris, and even his own teammate, Leclerc, in P4, in the second session, where the Briton could only manage a P8.

"The lap on softs was looking strong, but I went a bit deep into the final corner and lost some time there. Our race runs were solid, but others seem competitive in all conditions, so we’ll be working hard overnight to close the gap."