Although Charles Leclerc topped FP1 with teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing second, and both drivers remained in the top five in FP2, Leclerc remains sceptical about the true performance of the Ferrari SF-26.

After two practices completed, when Leclerc spoke to media, he shared his a bit mixed feelings about Ferrari’s start of the first race week. He compared their performance to Mercedes’, which is starting to show more and more of their pace.

“FP1 looked positive, but then FP2 I think the teams are showing little by little a bit more,” he said, as quoted by offical F1 website. “Unfortunately, we seem to be on the back foot, especially compared to Mercedes, who seem to be very, very strong.”

Commenting Mercedes’ performance so far, he added:” I don’t think they showed everything in low fuel, but on high fuel it was very impressive. It’s the first time probably that we see how much (of a gap) there is to them, and it’s a bit more than I would have liked. It’s the way it is.”

Leclerc also stressed that it is still really early to know the cars’ performances. He was asked how confident he is throughout the weekend and he again pointed out Mercedes’ early showing. “I wouldn’t say confident, because I don’t know,” he commented. “I don’t know much margin Mercedes still has, so it’s a bit early to say. But I would say they are a bit more in front than what I would have wanted for now.”

According to his words, this season is going to be especially about development throughout the year and finishing positions on Saturday and Sunday are great starting points, on which the teams can build on and try to catch up. “If we win on Sunday, then amazing!” he added.