The celebrations for Charles Leclerc’s splendid victory in the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit in front of the tifosi are now over so it’s time to focus on the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and most importantly on the Maranello team’s prospects for this final part of the championship.
Despite the thrilling win at the 5.793-kilometre Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Ferrari is still not in an idea position in any of the two standings. In fact, the result in the Italian Grand Prix leads to even more regret for what could have been for Charles Leclerc and the Italian side this year. But Ferrari has made mistakes in the 2024 Formula 1 season, this is undeniable. If it hadn’t, could the outcome have been different? The answer is clearly hypothetical, but looking at the progression of the racing campaign, it is highly probable that the Maranello team, at this point in the championship, could have been in contention for both world titles. For the fans, accepting this fact is difficult, but the possibility that Ferrari was genuinely competitive was real, especially considering the missed opportunities and wrong developments that compromised its performance at a key point of the season.
In Formula 1 as in life, mistakes come with a price. In the most important category of motorsport, there is no room for indecision, and every small detail can make a big difference. The last two sentences encapsulate a sea of banalities that, however, Ferrari has evidently once again underestimated. One wonders how it is possible to keep making the same mistakes. Repeating the same errors without finding solutions does not reflect well on a team. The article does not aim to attack Ferrari, but unfortunately, the evident facts speak for themselves. No more, no less.
There are no excuses when you’re Ferrari. “The Maranello team lacks nothing to win.” How many times have you heard this phrase that essentially claims that such a prestigious team should have all the tools to succeed? Even though it’s been repeated for years in millions of discussions, it’s wrong. If Ferrari indeed needed nothing more than what it already has, it would be ahead of everyone. Since it isn’t, the reason is clear: some fundamental elements for fighting at the top are missing. Thinking otherwise is impossible. Whoever does is lying to themselves.
The historic Italian F1 team knows well what didn’t work during the current Formula 1 season. Some things are commented on in front of the media, others are hinted at, and some are kept to themselves. This is also normal within a world full of sharks ready to criticize and throw mud on the work done. However, Ferrari has decided to share one aspect publicly. Perhaps because it was so evident that not mentioning it would have looked bad. We refer to the lack of correlation between the tools used in the virtual field and on the track. A thorny issue that has limited performance.
On more than one occasion, even this year, Ferrari has claimed that the link between the simulator and reality was optimal. In part, this was undoubtedly true. We have already discussed it. The team has shed a lot of rust over the past few months, and compared to the last Formula 1 season, things have indeed changed. The numbers confirm it. However, the continuous turnover of top personnel hasn’t helped. Stability has not been there, from this point of view. Unfortunately, it was a foreseeable situation, as the purge was necessary to clear the mindset of the Prancing Horse.
Several technicians have left the Maranello team, others have arrived. It takes time to understand if the moves made are correct. Let’s allow those who are there now to work and stop thinking about those who are no longer there. You learn from the past, but trying to change it makes no sense. You can’t. It’s about building the present and laying the foundations for a better future. This is what Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has been doing for some time, while Charles Leclerc believes that the decisions made in this regard have positively marked Ferrari. The Monegasque driver says this because he notices a clear difference.
Every single individual has been evaluated. Those who remained were put in the best conditions to perform at their maximum. That was the goal. Extracting the best from every single collaborator is one of Fred Vasseur’s main talents. Just like creating a certain balance among the various elements. The French manager knows how to keep the morale of the team high when things aren’t going well, and at the same time, he knows how to temper easy enthusiasm for a stage victory or a weekend where there’s satisfaction with the work done. Emotionally, he is very “flat,” an element that helps maintain focus.
For this very reason, Charles Leclerc’s trust in Ferrari’s team principal is very high. The Frenchman strongly believes in the Maranello team, and according to his own words, it’s precisely for this reason that the marriage between Ferrari and legendary British car designer Adrian Newey didn’t go through. We will never know if this is true or just a strategy to cover up a failed signing. “It’s not one person who changes the fate of a team,” this is the phrase with which Fred Vasseur “downplays” the hypothetical contribution of the former Red Bull engineer. Perhaps the Frenchman is right. On the other hand, Adrian Newey wanted his entire team in tow.
“Maybe one day we will find a point of agreement,” another statement from Frederic Vasseur that won’t be confirmed in the future. Yes, because Adrian Newey is tied to Aston Martin for at least five years. This means that if things go as they should and nothing suggests otherwise, looking at the Englishman’s past, the chances of seeing him in Maranello will be slim. Never say never, okay. However, the chances are now reduced to a minimum considering the age of the British engineer. And so? Who cares… this is the message between the lines of Frederic Vasseur when thinking about Ferrari’s future.
A future where things, however, must go differently, because praising his work as the Monegasque has done and continuing to lose serves no purpose. On the contrary, it would render Charles Leclerc’s words out of place. Beyond the present that looks to the future, there’s also the reality tied to the 2024 Formula 1 competition. Thera are still eight races to go. This means there are still 200 points to fight for. 208 if we add the fastest lap, 272 if we include the three remaining Sprint Races. Being part of the fight in the constructors’ standings costs nothing, and perhaps, staying in contention until the end, even without winning, would be the best demonstration that something has truly changed.
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