Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc expects Red Bull Racing to have the clear advantage during Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Leclerc qualified second for tomorrow’s race, just two tenths behind polesitter Max Verstappen.
The Monegasque was a bit disappointed by his result during the qualifying sessions and said the team expects last year’s champions to keep their lead during the Grand Prix on Saturday.
“In Q2 we did a [lap time of] 1:19.1, one which was more or less the last time that Max did in Q3. So, [the Pole potential] was there in the car.
“I think we lost a little bit of the rhythm with the used sets of C3s in Q3.
“You have to re-adapt to the new tires and I lost a little bit there but, all in all, it’s been a positive qualifying.”
About their performance, Leclerc said he is “confident we did a step forward, but we have to wait and see tomorrow how much of a step forward we did.
“We really think that Red Bull is still ahead by quite a bit in the race.
“We’ll see. But if there’s an opportunity, as always, I’ll go for it and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”