Ferrari doesn’t believe their one-two in Dutch Grand Prix practice is representative but admit “everything is possible” in qualifying.
As Lewis Hamilton stopped with an oil system issue and Max Verstappen was impacted by a red flag, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz capitalised to lead the way on Friday afternoon at Zandvoort.
But the Monegasque was quick to play down expectations of Ferrari mixing it with Red Bull and Mercedes this weekend.
“It is looking good for now but we shouldn’t get carried away because it’s just Friday,” Leclerc said.
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“I think there is still quite a bit of potential for us to improve, [but] I feel our competitors have a bit of performance still to reveal.
“Our race pace was not as good as the single lap performance so we will be focusing on that.
“For the race, I don’t think there will be much overtaking so it will be important to secure a good grid position tomorrow.”
Leclerc does already have two poles this season in Monaco and Baku, and didn’t rule out a third due to the nature of the track.
“I really hope so. It is a track where risk rewards you. In qualifying everything is possible,” he said.
“We will give it our best with Carlos, we are pushing each other in every session so hopefully we can benefit from that in qualifying.
“I’m pretty sure the top teams have something more but compared to our direct competitors, we are looking good.”
The 24-year-old was also very impressed by the Dutch circuit which has been upgraded for its first F1 race since 1985.
“I really enjoyed driving on the new Zandvoort. The banking feels very special on the first timed lap and it’s just overall a fun track to drive on,” he stated.
That sentiment was echoed by Ferrari teammate Sainz.
“It’s an impressive and different track compared to what we are used to,” said the Spaniard. “It was fun to try different lines in FP1 around the banking corners and to push a bit more in FP2.
“I enjoyed myself out there today and the atmosphere with the fans close to the track is great!
“In terms of performance, we felt confident straight away with the car balance and with the car performance.
“We managed to do some decent running on soft tyres, whereas other competitive cars were caught out by the [red] flags, so that’s maybe why we look so good on the timesheet.
“For sure we have room to improve, but still the car felt good and it was a positive Friday for us.”
Sainz also hoped the Scuderia would be in a position to capitalise again on any more mishaps by Mercedes and Red Bull over the weekend.
“We’re going to try to, definitely, but I wouldn’t expect a Monaco here,” he said on if Ferrari could “create a stir”.
“We see in the long runs that Mercedes and Red Bull are quicker but we want to be right behind them if we can, especially as we feel a bit closer than in previous weekends.
“We want to maximise every opportunity they give us if they make a mistake. We’re going to try our best and today the important feeling is that the car was working well.”
