Ferrari, which on Saturday in qualifying was nine-tenths behind pole position and could not go beyond sixth place, after the seventy-two laps of the Dutch Grand Prix, secured a podium finish. There were no retirements or errors from competitors; the third place achieved by Charles Leclerc came from performance, with a gap of only two and a half seconds at the finish line from Max Verstappen.
It has been known for some time that the SF-24 is more of a ‘race animal’ than a qualifying one, but on the eve of the race, it was Charles Leclerc himself who indicated sixth place as the best possible result.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur explained that he often mentions how the details can sometimes make the difference, whether positive or negative. He noted that when performance is lacking, there is a tendency to push too hard, which can cause tire issues. In an attempt to compensate, aggressive strategic choices might be made, leading to an even more negative spiral. However, on that particular day, everything went in the right direction.
Things went well from the start at the 4.259-kilometre Circuit Zandvoort, with Charles Leclerc being able to overtake the Red Bull RB20 car of Sergio Perez at the beginning. It was a key moment in the Monegasque’s race, along with the very effective undercut executed on lap 25.
The French manager explained that they had initially planned the stop for the twenty-sixth lap but decided to bring it forward by one lap, without it posing a risk in terms of tire management. The early pit stop allowed the Monegasque driver to pass both George Russell and Oscar Piastri, although it quickly became evident that the Mercedes driver lacked the pace to regain the position, while with Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc’s outcome seemed already determined.
After the pit stop (Oscar stopped on lap 33), the gap between McLaren and Ferrari was eight seconds, a margin that Piastri closed in ten laps. The overtake seemed inevitable, but Charles Leclerc began to perform his little ‘miracle’ by fending off the first attacks.
Ferrari proved to be consistent, and after the initial failed overtaking attempts, McLaren saw the tire advantage slip away. At that point, Oscar Piastri’s only chance to grab the podium depended on a drop in performance from Leclerc’s set of hard tires, but Charles responded lap after lap without any issues.
Frederic Vasseur added that he preferred not to delve into technical details, emphasizing that it was a matter of tire management. From the window in which they put on the tires, they could see from the first lap that they were in good shape. In such a position, it becomes possible to push a little more without risking tire damage. He admitted that he was initially concerned when Charles Leclerc was behind George Russell, fearing potential issues in the final part of the stint, but ultimately, everything went well.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ferrari put a very well-balanced car on the track, despite having to do without Carlos Sainz on Friday, who was sidelined by a transmission problem. The available data was less than usual (in the paddock, some joked that maybe it was a stroke of luck), and the setup changes proved impeccable, allowing the Scuderia to leave Zandvoort with twenty-five points, one less than Red Bull and fifteen more than Mercedes.
The good comeback race by Carlos Sainz, who started from tenth place, also contributed to the haul. The Spaniard set up a comeback race that brought him to seventh place after eleven laps, the position that had been indicated as the best possible result before the start of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz went further by overtaking George Russell and, on the forty-seventh lap, passing Sergio Perez with a skillful move on the outside of the Tarzan corner. He admitted that he hadn’t expected this, explaining that after the qualifying session, he had been somewhat pessimistic and disappointed. However, during the race, the car with a full fuel load immediately felt better than in the previous day’s qualifying. In the end, he finished six or seven seconds from the top three, which he considered a really good performance. He noted that being able to overtake a Red Bull on such a challenging track indicated that the car was in an optimal operating window, and he believed he drove very well, something he felt proud of.
Having overcome the feared ‘Zandvoort’ hurdle, Scuderia Ferrari now looks ahead to the Monza weekend in the Italian Grand Prix, where the anticipated aerodynamic package of technical updates should allow the Maranello team to consistently fight for the podium without surprises.
The achievable goals will become clear after the Monza, Baku, and Singapore rounds, and even though at the moment imagining a Ferrari capable of troubling McLaren (their closest rival in the Constructors’ standings) seems like a very risky prediction, the story of the 2024 Formula 1 championship so far has shown that even certainties should be taken with caution. That’s what Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and the entire Maranello team are hoping for.
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