Ferrari: development is needed
In Montreal, during Friday’s free practice sessions at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Scuderia Ferrari not only showcased its usual single-lap speed but also displayed a respectable race pace, especially with Charles Leclerc. In the extended second practice session (due to closed-circuit camera issues that effectively canceled the morning session), Charles Leclerc held his ground against Max Verstappen in the race simulation.
However, Ferrari faced complications in qualifying, failing to reach Q3 with the Monegasque driver and experiencing an impeding incident with Carlos Sainz, which resulted in a three-place grid penalty for the Spaniard. In the early part of the race, the Ferrari cars found themselves stuck in the midfield DRS train, a situation where the SF-23 cars couldn’t capitalize on the excellent pace shown on Friday. The Safety Car allowed Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to stay out while most of their rivals pitted, giving them the clean air they needed to adopt a one-stop strategy.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes opted for two pit stops and claimed the podium positions, with Fernando Alonso finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton, unlike what happened in Australia. Ferrari did not find a place on the podium, leaving the doubt of how the race would have unfolded for them with a “clean” qualifying session in Montreal.
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Luigi Mazzola, who 14 world titles in Ferrari F.1, commented on the Italian side’s performance on Instagram, highlighting that, from his point of view, developments in Maranello will be crucial because currently, Aston Martin and Mercedes seem to have improved more than the SF-23 over the first third of the 2023 Formula One season. He said, “Ferrari took a different strategy with one less pit stop, showing excellent consistency even though they are not yet at the level of Mercedes and Aston Martin (Red Bull is in a league of its own). As a Ferrari fan, I’ve seen some improvements compared to previous races, but I have the impression that Mercedes and Aston Martin have improved slightly more. Full steam ahead with the developments.” – he pointed out at the end of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
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