The Ferrari race at Hermanos Rodriguez, home of the 2021 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, had two faces. A good, positive one. The other, on the other hand, is less bright.
Let’s start with the positive aspects. First of all, the large amount of points recovered from the Constructors’ third place against McLaren. Fifth and sixth places were invaluable in achieving what is the Scuderia’s seasonal goal.
The pace shown was also good when compared to the difficulties both Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo went through. At the end of the weekend it is clear how much the SF21s have improved since the new hybrid system was implemented.
In this regard, Carlos Sainz showed throughout the race, both with the Medium tires used in the first stint and with the Hard tires, instead mounted in the second, that he had a pace that could have led him to close the race in fourth place.
Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari SF21, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alfa Romeo Racing C41
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“I was very fast today, but I was very fast all weekend,” said the Madrid-born at the end of the Mexican race, in which he had to give up fifth place to Leclerc after showing yes he had an excellent pace compared to the teammate, but not such as to be able to recover all the disadvantage against Gasly.
The least convincing aspect of the Ferrari weekend is the choice to keep Leclerc ahead of Sainz in the first stint. At the end of the race, Leclerc said he didn’t know why he wasn’t fast with Hard tires, but even with the Mediums he showed – especially in the first laps – that he didn’t have Sainz’s pace behind him.
“We expected to be ahead of AlphaTauri but they have been fast since Friday and have done better than us. In the end we were practically even. Maybe today we were a little better, I was recovering a lot on Gasly before letting Charles pass. But this is a circuit where if you start from the front, it’s not that easy for us to overtake, ”Sainz concluded.
It is true that, with hindsight, it is easier to analyze the race. It is also true that Sainz, throughout the weekend, gave the feeling of having something more on the pace than Leclerc. Fortunately for Ferrari, the points taken home for the Constructors’ World Championship overshadow everything.
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