Ferrari: how Charles Leclerc masked SF1000 weaknesses at Silverstone. SF1000 weaknesses remain, but Charles masked them at Silverstone.

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari came out with a podium (also lucky) from a track that they considered an insurmountable obstacle, working in the best way possible to hide the weaknesses of the SF1000.

The third place finish scored by Charles Leclerc in Silverstone starts from afar. The foundations have been laid in qualifying, and there is nothing that can be considered casual or the result of improvisation. Twenty-four hours earlier in the Maranello team’s box it was decided to try to place the cars as best as possible on the starting grid (and so far it’s obvious that any team wants to start in front), but Ferrari also did this in spite of what were the evaluations that in view of the race.

Ferrari decided for a setup similar to the one which is usually used in Monza, relying on new tires to compensate (for one lap) the lack of downforce. “But in the race it will be tough,” admitted Charles Leclerc after Saturday’s fourth place, heralding an all-uphill race full of difficulties.

After the Silverstone traffic light went out, the surprise took shape lap after lap: after having started well Charles and defending the position from Sainz’s attack (started with the soft), lap after lap Charles made it clear that he could keep his opponents behind.

Those who on the eve of the weekend seemed to be formidable opponents (Racing Point, Renault and McLaren) in the early stages of the race approached Ferrari number 16, but without ever bothering Charles. Starting from the front (with a good top speed) proved to be an excellent combination, which allowed Charles to maintain his position without apparent problems.

But it is curious to note that in the ranking of the fastest laps in the race, Charles was preceded not only by the two Mercedes and the two Red Bulls, but also by Ocon, Ricciardo and Gasly, confirming that the SF1000 has not been resurrected. But in Silverstone going faster than a few tenths is not a guarantee of being able to overtake, and it is the aspect that the Cavallino technicians have made a bet on since the eve of the weekend.

Then it is clear that a lot of credit goes to Charles himself, really good at keeping the planned race pace. From lap 21 to lap 36 the Monegasque always ran in 1’31 “, then with the drop in fuel in the following 13 laps he went to 1’30”, with two laps in 1’29 “. A perfect management that made it possible not to ‘kill’ the tires, completing the dreaded 52 laps scheduled despite the ten-session early pit stop (due to Kvyat’s accident) compared to the strategy worked out before the race.

At the moment, considering the limitations of the SF1000 project, the racing department has to ‘manufacture’ small technical and strategic miracles, and at Silverstone the work has been perfect. Given the potential that the 2020 car can guarantee today, Ferrari’s work at Silverstone has been excellent. Then, if we speak in absolute terms, it is a completely different story which and it is already known from the first stages of the season.