Leclerc: 'Red Bull will bring another upgrade before the first race'

Charles Leclerc had a reasonable second day of testing in Bahrain, setting the sixth-fastest time. The Monegasque realises that Ferrari could well be in contention for the world title this season, although he is cautious about his claims for the time being.

The Italian team may have looked powerful at the Barcelona and Bahrain tracks, but Ferrari is aware that Mercedes and Red Bull Racing may not have shown the back of their tongues just yet. Indeed, it seems likely that both formations will not show their true strength until the first race weekend in Bahrain.

For Leclerc, the situation is clear, he told Sky Sports. "I think Red Bull will bring another upgrade before the first race," he states. "We have seen Mercedes arriving with a completely different car here. So yeah we can’t relax they haven’t pushed at all and on our side, we are just trying to get to know the car as much as we can."

Sainz did even better on Friday afternoon by setting the fastest time on the board. He was faster than Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton who finished second and fourth respectively in the standings. In exactly one week the first two free practices in Bahrain are scheduled.