Ferrari’s Belgian GP strategy delivered an excellent second place for Charles Leclerc and fourth for Lewis Hamilton, allowing the Maranello team to leave Spa-Francorchamps with greater optimism than might have seemed possible earlier in the weekend. Apart from the results recorded in FP1, the Belgian Grand Prix had started in challenging fashion for Ferrari, yet the final outcome represented a major confidence boost. A complete account of the team’s race can be found in our Ferrari Belgian GP review.
The layout of Spa-Francorchamps was far from ideally suited to the characteristics of Ferrari’s power unit. Nevertheless, the Scuderia managed to optimise its overall package and ultimately outscore Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren during the race.
Ferrari also benefited from George Russell’s retirement following his opening-lap contact with Lewis Hamilton, an incident for which the Ferrari driver received a five-second penalty. Although the Maranello team did not win the race, it collected more points than any other constructor in the Ardennes. The FIA’s explanation of Lewis Hamilton’s penalty provided further detail about the stewards’ decision.
However, not everything was as positive as the final positions might suggest. Ferrari’s performance included both encouraging signs and areas that still require attention, particularly regarding the behaviour of the C3 medium compound.
Pirelli: Ferrari was the only team to try something different
Before examining the strategies in greater detail, it is worth considering the comments made by Pirelli motorsport director Dario Marrafuschi after the race.
“All the compounds selected for the Belgian Grand Prix formed part of the strategies, as expected, and particularly within the scenarios we had anticipated yesterday,” Dario Marrafuschi explained. “With a few drops of rain falling, the temperature was lower and degradation was therefore reduced compared with the previous days. This helped the teams complete longer stints.”
“Only Ferrari tried to do something different by extending the opening stint on the C3 medium tyre, probably while waiting for a neutralisation that did eventually arrive. Both drivers were therefore able to fit the hard tyres while saving time in the pits.
“The only drivers to start the race on the soft tyres were Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz. In our opinion, that choice could have benefited the cars positioned in the second half of the grid. Despite the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car periods, the race was ultimately fairly straightforward,” the Italian manager concluded.
Belgian GP strategy recap
One strategy that certainly deserves recognition was the approach adopted by Isack Hadjar and Red Bull. Starting from the back of the grid, Isack Hadjar used the Safety Car triggered by George Russell’s opening-lap retirement to fit the medium tyres before returning to a second set of hards. In theory, that sequence put him in a position to reach the finish without making another pit stop.
When the Virtual Safety Car was deployed on lap 20, Isack Hadjar was running seventh and decided to stop again, fitting the hard tyres he had used at the start of the race. This brought his strategy back into line with those of his rivals. He rejoined without losing seventh place and eventually improved to sixth by passing Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver was the only competitor who chose not to take advantage of the Virtual Safety Car. Having started on the hard compound, Lando Norris delayed his stop before switching to the mediums for the closing part of the race.
Most of the other drivers followed relatively conventional strategies based exclusively on the C3 and C2 compounds. Carlos Sainz used a Soft-Hard strategy, while Valtteri Bottas completed two stops with a Soft-Hard-Soft sequence. Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon followed Medium-Hard-Hard strategies, while Fernando Alonso used Hard-Soft-Hard. Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and George Russell retired from the race.
The Virtual Safety Car neutralises the strategic differences
Greater use of the soft tyre had been expected, but the lower temperatures may have encouraged the leading teams to favour the medium and hard compounds. This reduced the risk of encountering problems in unpredictable conditions. Rain had also fallen around the circuit, and the teams may have preferred to avoid exposing themselves to unnecessary danger.
The soft compound still featured in several race strategies, although not as prominently as might have been anticipated before the start.
Ferrari may have been attempting to extend its opening medium-tyre stint beyond the halfway point before switching to the softs for the final laps. However, the team’s original plan will probably never be known with certainty because the Virtual Safety Car effectively compressed the strategic picture.
Some drivers, including Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, had reportedly completed their pit stops shortly before the neutralisation. At that point, it became logical for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to enter the pits, fit the hard tyres and continue to the chequered flag without stopping again.
Ferrari’s mixed performance on the C3 medium tyre
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton both demonstrated competitive pace during the final stint on hard tyres, but Ferrari’s performance on the medium compound was less convincing. More precisely, the SF-26 was competitive only during certain phases of the opening stint.
Ferrari struggled considerably during the first few laps, with Charles Leclerc losing second place to Max Verstappen after having gained the position at the start. As the stint developed, however, the SF-26 maintained a consistent rhythm, while the performance levels of Mercedes and Red Bull gradually converged towards Ferrari’s pace.
The C3 therefore produced both positive and negative indications for Ferrari. That is particularly significant because the medium compound is one that drivers encounter at every round of the Formula 1 championship.
Ferrari finds stronger pace on the C2 hard compound
The situation improved after Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton switched to the C2 hard tyre. With clear track ahead of him, Charles Leclerc’s pace was second only to Kimi Antonelli’s. He would rank third if Lando Norris were also included, although the McLaren driver completed his second stint on the softer C3 medium and had fresher tyres than most of his rivals.
Kimi Antonelli ultimately converted Mercedes’ performance into victory, although Charles Leclerc remained a persistent threat. The Mercedes driver later explained the challenge of managing Charles Leclerc’s pressure and powerful slipstream at Spa.
Overall, Ferrari displayed almost the same level of race pace at Spa-Francorchamps as it had shown at Silverstone, which is undoubtedly encouraging. The hard-tyre performance also helps explain why Charles Leclerc believed Ferrari had missed an opportunity to win at Spa.
Ferrari’s tyre-management situation is still not as clear or consistent as Mercedes’, but the direction taken by the Maranello engineers appears to be the correct one.
Charles Leclerc takes second as Lewis Hamilton keeps fourth
Charles Leclerc completed the Belgian Grand Prix in second place, while Lewis Hamilton retained fourth. After serving the five-second penalty imposed for his opening-lap contact with George Russell, Lewis Hamilton was not given an additional sporting penalty over the unsafe release during Ferrari’s pit stop.
Instead, Ferrari received a financial penalty for the incident. Further details are available in the FIA verdict on Ferrari’s unsafe-release investigation.
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