For a long time in Formula One, Ferrari was always regarded as a front-running team. Unfortunately, that changed last year when the Italian giants endured their worst season to date. This time, the status quo seems to be changing again, as Ferrari resumes its age-old battle with McLaren. Only this time, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are in the fight to lead the F1 midfield.

On the bright side for the Maranello squad, the Monaco Grand Prix helped them return to the podium. This was no flash in the pan, as Leclerc scored Ferrari’s first pole position since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix. The fact that he failed to start the race is a different story altogether.

Meanwhile, Sainz backed up Ferrari’s pace with a fine second place, his first podium for the team. However, Charles Leclerc warned that it does not mean that Ferrari can challenge Red Bull and Mercedes consistently. In fact, they may be in for a reality check at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

What did Charles Leclerc say?

“I think it will be a bit back to reality now,” Leclerc said. “Monaco was a one-off. We were fighting for the victory, which was incredible and very nice for the motivation of everyone. But now, with long straights and a bit more high-speed in general here, even though there are quite a lot of slow speed corners, I believe we will be back to the to the normal competitiveness that we’ve that we’ve had before Monaco.”

The Monegasque driver assured that this won’t be the last time this season that Ferrari is competitive. He suggested that Singapore is another race where the Italian giants can give Mercedes and Red Bull a fight. However, he does not know if the race conditions will suit their car.

For now, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc are looking forward to this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. While they don’t have very high hopes, they will be keen to capitalize on potential misfortune for the front-runners.

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