Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz: two opposite faces of the same Ferrari. Two opposite faces of the same Ferrari.

TWO DRIVERS, A TEAM IN COMMON: IN TEN YEARS THINGS CHANGE, WHAT WAS A DEFEAT FOR ALONSO, FOR SAINZ (AND FOR FERRARI) TODAY IS A VICTORY
Back in 2011, Scuderia Ferrari had Fernando Alonso as the main driver. And in Monaco, he finished second. A defeat for him and for the team, which that season was fighting for the Constructors’ World Championship and had rather positive results at almost every Grand Prix. Today, after ten years, the fortunes have changed. In the red single-seater from Maranello there is another Spaniard, Carlos Sainz, and second place in Monaco is seen as a victory. Because, for current results, it actually is. A Ferrari that has profoundly changed, which has seen the succession of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz and which now seems to rise from the ashes of a 2020 Formula One season clearly below expectations.

In a virtual press conference, Fernando Alonso recalls the golden years of Ferrari: “I remember years ago, when I made nine or ten podiums a season. A second place, at the time, was like a funeral. Especially because at the press conference they always asked me when I would win. Now, of the 97 podiums that Ferrari has won, especially those of the last 5-6 years, I do not think they I received the respect I deserved.”

THE SECOND IS THE FIRST OF THE LOSERS, BUT NOT ALWAYS
As Senna said, “Second is the first of the losers”. But this is not always the case, and the practical demonstration is the Monaco GP held yesterday. After the burning disappointment of Charles Leclerc, first on pole and then retired even before the start, Carlos Sainz’s second step of the podium was seen as a great victory for the team. A team that is recovering, and that seems to be improving race after race.

But it is better not to go too far with too hasty assumptions and praise. Carlos Sainz’s extraordinary merit is to be recognized in bringing Ferrari to the podium for the first time in 2021, almost on the roof of a sparkling Monaco. However, there is the great disappointment for Charles Leclerc, who, unfortunately, not even this year has managed to break his curse of the Principality.

In several years things change, the fortunes shift from one end to the other. That second place that in 2011 was considered a great defeat by Alonso, today, in 2021, for Carlos Sainz, for Ferrari and for all fans is like a victory. A win that is rightly celebrated. A victory that, ten years ago, would have been a bitter side of the coin for everyone.