What kind of Ferrari did we witness at Suzuka? Charles Leclerc, who finished fourth with the SF-23, had a gap of 43.908 seconds to the winner Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB19. Looking at the numbers, it seems as if we’ve regressed to the worst performances of the red team, even though Scuderia confirmed itself as the third force in the Japanese race and managed to gain four points on Mercedes in the battle for the second position in the Constructors’ World Championship, with the Star leading by 20 points.
Ferrari was apprehensive about the Japanese circuit with its initial snake section and the long, fast, high-speed corners that highlighted the flaws and challenges of a car that has been difficult to drive since the start of the season. Everyone knew that Suzuka was not Singapore. The magic of Marina Bay disappeared in less than a week. Carlos Sainz’s success in the Southeast Asian city-state was quickly forgotten because the difficulties of Suzuka were evident to everyone in the Scuderia.
Moreover, the simulations had indicated an unfavorable scenario: Max Verstappen would return to where he belonged after the slip-up in Singapore, securing the sixth Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull. However, in Maranello, they believed they had enough to keep the McLarens behind.
But, in reality, both McLarens finished ahead of the red ones. In the simulated predictions, the papaya-colored cars were considered a serious threat to the SF-23, but they were not expected to be significantly better than the red cars. The results of the Friday free practice sessions had supported this view, both in terms of single lap pace and long runs.
Things didn’t seem to change in qualifying, although the two MCL60s were ahead of Charles Leclerc in fourth place. The small gaps, 82 thousandths to Piastri and 49 to Norris, didn’t warrant complaints, except for track position. The scenario changed significantly during the race. Charles Leclerc realized early on that at the Japanese Grand Prix, it was impossible to challenge the untouchable McLarens, but the game had to be played by defending against the Mercedes. And that’s what happened.
The data had left some hope for a podium finish, but the race results told a different story. If the 7.504 seconds behind Oscar Piastri didn’t seem embarrassingly large, the 24.601 seconds gap to Lando Norris revealed the usual shortcomings of the red car. The introduction of a new floor was not enough to change the behavior of the Ferrari, which suffered progressive tire overheating, resulting in tire degradation.
On certain tracks like Suzuka, the SF-23 can hold its own in a single lap, but in terms of race pace, it is forced to yield to cars like the McLaren that have found the means to make significant improvements in their latest updates.
The feeling is that in Woking, McLaren has found solutions to be technically the second force behind Red Bull, while Ferrari’s performance will be more dependent on the configurations of the upcoming tracks. Doha in Qatar is a high-speed track with stop-and-go characteristics. So, in Losail, the Scuderia should find a more suitable environment for the red car. We may see further planned aero updates like the floor before the summer break.
The pursuit of Mercedes continues, but an approach that’s overly conservative doesn’t always suffice. With a bit of courage, even Sainz could have been ahead of the Mercedes, and in the quest to catch the Star, another four points could have been in play. Evidently, for the next year, it will not only be a more competitive car that’s needed but also a more solid decision-making team for unforeseen choices. Fred Vasseur knows this and is working on it…
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