Ferrari and lead driver Charles Leclerc have looked competitive in this seasons opening races. And the Maranello Outfit believes the pace evidenced so far this season points to a strong race at Monaco for the Scuderia.
Mr. Leclerc was 1 of the stars of the Spanish GP, qualifying 4th ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez and the best of the rest.
It was a super performance by young Mr. Leclerc, extracting the absolute maximum from the SF21 racer that is not yet on the level of its Key rivals, MercedesAMG and and the Honda powered RB racers.
Mr. Leclerc’s home race is Monaco and if the Scuderia get things right in qualifying he could mix it up with the frontrunners, and surprise in the race.
“I think that as Scuderia Ferrari we are pretty happy for the weekend,” said team boss Mattia Binotto after the flag. “I think we have seen what was our, let me say, objective, which was gaining points for the Constructors’, and trying to finish as high as possible. And I think fourth and seventh has been a good result.
While Spain brought definitive proof in terms of the result, Binotto believes that Ferrari also had the quickest car at the Emilia Romagna GP, where his 2 drivers finished just behind Norris.
“I don’t think it’s the first time, I think that in Imola it was the case as well,” he said. “I think that Bahrain was very specific, because of the overheating of the rears. And I think in Portimao we made some mistakes with the overall tire management.
A lot of homework on tire management made the difference: “Obviously when you are struggling such as in Portimão, there is always a lesson learned. It can be car set-up, car balance, the way you manage the tires when on track.
“So we made analysis from the data we had, discussing it with drivers, sharing with them the concerns, and sharing with them the solutions. I think coming here we tried to put in place all the possible solutions and actions.”
In Spain Mr. Leclerc’s brilliant 1st lap pass of Mr. Bottas and subsequent defense was 1 of the race highlights.
It was inevitable that Mr. Leclerc could not stay ahead of the MercedesAMG, and an earlier pit stop for Mr. Bottas put him ahead. The good news for Ferrari was that Mr. Leclerc was able to manage his tires, maintain a strong pace, and stay clear of Mr. Perez’s Red Bull racer.
It shows that all the work that the race people have done in Maranello, and that the Team have done at the tracks, is paying off.
Thus far in Y 2021 Mr. Leclerc has posted 2 fourth places and 2 sixths, and a podium on home ground would be a super achievement.
“I’m really looking forward to Monaco. Obviously it is a very special weekend for me, and a weekend where I have not been very, very lucky in the past.
“So I hope we can have a good weekend as a team. And also looking at the third sector in Barcelona, we were quite competitive here. Of course, it’s different, but we seem to have a strong car, so hopefully we can be competitive at home, and have a good result,” Mr. Leclerc said.
Ferrari is The Aristocrat of the automotive sector.
Ferrari Friday finished at 198.65 within its 52 wk range of 127.73 – 233.66 in NY. It’s all time high in NY was marked at 233.66 intraday on 29 December.
Key technical indicators are now Neutral to Bullish. Though the candlestick pattern indicates the confirmation of the break out at 196.01 on 3 November and confirmed.
The Key support is at 194.67 and the Key resistance is at 198.77 at the close Thursday in NY. The 14 May DOJI candlestick indicates a move further North next wk.
Note: At the beginning of Y 2020 I called RACE at 230 by year’s end, the stock was trading at 165.22 on 1 January 2020, on 29 December 2020 it marked 233.66 intraday, its all time high
The Maranello Outfit’s shares were raised to Buy from Hold at HSBC, and Buys at Morgan Stanley and Bank of America.
UBS is now calling the stock at 365. Citi downgraded the stock from Neutral to sell. I have not seen any other Street downgrades.
Ferrari will continue to create value in the long term as it becomes the world’s 1st Super Luxury brand.
Ferrari is a quality 1st long term luxury products investment, BAML raised its call to 270 long term.
I have raised my long term target to 375, a Strong Bull call, the strongest on the Street and am holding the mark during this recent profit taking, and seeing RACE as a buying opportunity.
Ferrari has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price at 236.92.
The Maranello Outfit’s shares were raised downgraded from Buy to Hold at HSBC.
Ferrari will continue to create value in the long term. Ferrari is a quality 1st long term luxury products investment, and I am calling it 375 long term, the Top on the Street, and adjusting it to 250/share short term.
A number of large investors have recently bought shares of RACE, and there have been very few instances of insider selling over the past yr that we have seen. And Ferrari continues to buy back its stock in here.
The stock is considered defensive in the sector.
Have a healthy weekend, enjoy the racing and Keep the Faith!
