The Ferrari optimism over its “worst-ever” start to an F1 season

At this point last year, Charles Leclerc had two wins under his belt to lead Ferrari’s blossoming title challenge, its most credible since 2018. Twelve months on, he has only finished one race of three to call it the “worst-ever start of the season”. Meanwhile, a distant sixth in Saudi Arabia left team-mate Carlos Sainz convinced that major car changes, rather than minor set-up tweaks, were now essential. 

All told, Ferrari sits just fourth in the points…