Scuderia Ferrari’s task at the 4.318-kilometre Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will be to improve on the underwhelming results from the Canadian Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix. The Maranello team had to settle only for a fifth and sixth place in the last two races, totaling just 18 points. This is far too little for a team aiming to fight for the Formula 1 constructors’ championship, a goal that not impossible to reach given Sergio Perez’s problems, but watch out for McLaren’s strong comeback, an opponent which is getting closer every Sunday.
There is also a tense relationship between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to consider: the two drivers had a significant verbal altercation after last week’s Spanish Grand Prix, something that certainly does not benefit the Italian side. However, it seems the matters seems to have been resolved, partly because of all the issues surrounding the Spanish driver, who appears more focused on his own affairs than those of his Maranello teammate, as he continues to evaluate his options for a place on the grid in the 2025 Formula 1 campaign
In Austria, Scuderia Ferrari needs to return to the fight for the top positions, starting on Friday with the Sprint Race qualifying, a format returning this weekend. After his splendid race victory on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco, Charles Leclerc suffered a power unit problem in Canada, and in Spain, he couldn’t do better than fifth place with an SF-24 single-seater far from being competitive for the top positions, especially on Saturday in the qualifying session.
On Thursday in Spielberg, Charles noted that the car’s potential was evident, emphasizing the need to optimize the available package to get back in the fight. The simulator is providing interesting feedback, which made him confident about competing in Austria this weekend. The Monegasque driver acknowledged their struggles in long, slow corners, but there were fewer of those at this track. He expressed hope to fight again for pole position and victory, mentioning Spielberg as one of his favorite tracks.
Regarding his relationship with Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc acknowledged the squabbles after the Spanish Grand Prix but stated that everything was resolved shortly after the checkered flag, with the two returning together from Barcelona by plane. He implied that while skirmishes had been set aside, they could potentially resurface in the future, but stated that everything was fine with his Maranello teammate, with no problems between them. He mentioned that they discussed issues as usual and that their long-standing acquaintance meant that any adrenaline-induced tensions were quickly resolved. He was not worried, attributing any exaggerated reports to social media.
There was no Carlos Sainz case within Ferrari, as the Spanish driver sometimes seemed like an enemy of the team due to his on-track behavior and disregard for pre-race agreements. However, tensions appeared to have subsided, with the Spaniard now focused ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz stated that managing the drivers had never been a problem for Ferrari, noting that they often shared the same piece of track position because they started side by side. This led to situations like in Barcelona, where they had agreed on certain things. He asserted that they had always managed these situations well and would continue to do so.
The Spaniard is still looking to define his future, considering an Audi project that doesn’t fully convince him and a Williams option that would allow him to return to the market in 2026 for a more competitive team. The Alpine option had also emerged since Flavio Briatore became a super consultant, making the Anglo/French team a possible destination.
Carlos Sainz admitted that he is at a point where he needed to make an important decision for his Formula 1 career, which was why he was taking his time. He wants to be sure of his choice and does not want to rush, giving himself the necessary time. He acknowledged that the current moment, in the middle of three consecutive races, is not the best time to make such important decisions.
Returning to Ferrari, the days when the SF-24 cars from Maranello competed with McLaren and Red Bull in Miami and Imola, eventually winning in Monte Carlo with Charles Leclerc, unfortunately seem distant. Despite different reasons, the recent races in Canada and Spain saw the SF-24 in trouble and far from the top, overtaken by a resurgent Mercedes. The race in Barcelona particularly exposed the shortcomings of the current Ferrari, setting the agenda for future developments.
Ferrari arrives in Austria after two difficult trips to Montreal and Barcelona, although for different reasons. Charles Leclerc explained that the issues were not the same in Canada and Spain, with no clear trend. In Montreal, the problems were related to the tires, while in Barcelona, it was due to the car’s pace, as they were slower than expected. In both cases, the underwhelming performances stemmed from recurring weaknesses in the package rather than setup errors.
In Canada, the cold on Saturday complicated tire warming during qualifying, leading to both cars being eliminated in Q2. Starting grid positions then forced both drivers into a challenging race, exacerbated by floor damage and technical problems. The lackluster performance in Barcelona was different, mainly due to the car’s limitations at this stage of the season.
In Spain, Ferrari encountered difficulties seen earlier in the season, particularly in long, slow corners. Leclerc mentioned that they were working to improve the car in those areas and had seen some progress in recent races. The issue was not just low-speed corner performance, as Ferrari was comfortable in Monte Carlo, but rather medium-slow, long corners where the driver spends a lot of time steering, needing aerodynamic load and stability.
Carlos Sainz confirmed that the main problem was medium-slow, long corners, citing the first sector of Shanghai and a couple of points in Barcelona. Charles Leclerc noted that they lost time in qualifying at turns 5 and 10, with the latter especially reflecting the problematic characteristics. In the race, Ferrari lost time in faster corners in Spain due to a different tire degradation management strategy, with drivers lifting off in faster bends. The Monegasque driver added that managing the tires could have made fast corners appear as a weak point, but it was not the case.
Slow, long corners were not the only weakness in Barcelona. Charles Leclerc admitted that Ferrari was not comfortable in other types of corners either, while Carlos Sainz explicitly complained about mild aerodynamic porpoising at high speeds, which he believed could affect the tires. The Spaniard explained that although the small bounces did not impact cornering speed much, he did not like their potential effect on the tires during races and qualifying. Ferrari had not yet pinpointed the issue, but it was hypothesized that the bounces contributed to tire overheating, necessitating greater degradation management in fast corners.
He speculated that addressing the bouncing was crucial, especially since it was their third year under these regulations and they were still struggling with it. He saw it as a smaller issue compared to slow, long corners but still a weakness needing attention.
The introduction of a significant update package on the SF-24 in Barcelona further complicated matters, slightly destabilizing the team in adjusting the mechanical setup to extract its potential. Carlos Sainz mentioned that the start of the weekend was difficult with the new updates, and they had to figure out why it did not work immediately. His teammate echoed this, stating that there was still work to be done to understand the new parts. Yet the Austrian circuit could mask the weaknesses of the SF-24 that emerged in Spain, pending other updates.
The Spaniard explained that while the car remained the same for now, they had updated it and added more downforce. However, their rivals were also developing and improving. The updates met expectations in terms of efficiency and downforce but had not yet addressed the main flaws in Ferrari’s current aerodynamic characteristics, particularly in medium-low speed, long corners. Carlos Sainz confirmed that the data showed the new package worked, proving that the updates over the past two years and the current car were never suited for long, slow corners. Despite functional updates, some characteristics could not be resolved with simple development. He concluded that they needed to work on the overall package to become competitive on such tracks.
