Ferrari unveiled its new car online Wednesday, becoming the last of the 10 Formula 1 teams to present their 2021 editions.
The car, which is named SF21 for Scuderia Ferrari, has a new power unit. A bright green sponsor’s logo on the engine cover stands out on the otherwise red car.
“The color looks a little bit more dark compared to last year and there’s this other shade of red in the back of the car,” returning driver Charles Leclerc said, adding that the green “was a last-minute change.”
Leclerc and new teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. will drive the car for the first time during a filming day at the Bahrain circuit on Thursday. Official preseason testing starts on Friday in Bahrain, where the season opens on March 28.
Sainz Jr. said he and Leclerc will drive “only 10 laps more or less, each” on Thursday, “but at least we will get our first taste.
“Then on Friday we start to get serious and start to properly test the car and get ready for the season,” Sainz Jr. added.
Ferrari struggled last season with Leclerc finishing eighth and the departed Sebastian Vettel 13th in the drivers’ standings.
Leclerc got off to a strong start in 2020 with a second-place finish in the Grand Prix of Austria in the season opener in July. He finished behind Valtterri Bottas, who wound up second in the points. Leclerc’s only other podium came in the first of two races at Silverstone in August during Round 4.
Vettel scored only one podium in 2020. He was third in the Turkish Grand Prix in November. Teammate Leclerc finished fourth in that race.
Sainz had a similar season, scoring only one podium finish with his old team McLaren. He was second at Monza in September’s Grand Prix of Italy behind Pierre Gasly.
Ferrari was sixth in the Formula 1 constructors’ standings.
