Regarding Red Bull, Scuderia Ferrari didn’t expect anything different from what happened at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. Max Verstappen continues to soar high, claiming victory for the ninth consecutive time this season and equalling, with little surprise, the record previously held by the highly decorated German and former Ferrari driver, Sebastian Vettel.
And then there’s the Prancing Horse, of course. We had bid farewell with a hard-fought yet deserved podium for Leclerc at the end of the monotonous first part of this championship. However, at Zandvoort, the red car seemed truly too “unattractive” to be seen again, precisely during the weekend preceding the home race of the Maranello team. The SF-23 offered little hope right from Friday, a day when the “two Carlos” displayed a certain dissatisfaction with the car’s performance.
Ferrari faced Saturday struggling even more than usual. A wet qualifying that had a not-so-light impact on Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver indeed struggled significantly at the exit of Turn 9, and at the end of the qualifying session, he expressed having had major difficulties pushing his car to the limit. The sentiment was shared by his teammate, who nevertheless managed to secure the third row.
The evident discomfort of the red car soon became apparent on Sunday as well. A bittersweet day ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. A “problematic” race but mainly compromised from the outset for Charles Leclerc due to the contact at the start with Oscar Piastri, causing damage to the front wing and floor. On the other side, the changeable weather jeopardized the work of the mechanics, who were unprepared for Charles’ tire change. Following the incurred damage, car number 16 lacked the pace to make a worthy race, resulting in the most logical consequence, retirement.
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Ferrari Takes a Rational Approach to the Facts
Despite the disappointing result, the Monégasque driver highlighted that the slow reaction of his pit wall was due to his impromptu call to the box, assuming much of the blame himself. He also maintained that his car, which suffered the collision leading to its withdrawal, should not be considered at all as a “fragile car.” It’s a weekend to put behind for the young talent of the red team, who can only be dissatisfied with the achieved outcome.
A different scenario, at least in terms of the final result, unfolded for the Spanish driver Carlos Sainz. After securing a sixth position in qualifying, the Spaniard undoubtedly displayed a certain despondency. However, at the same time, he showed awareness of having given his best, extracting the maximum from his car in that particular and complex situation.
His fifth-place finish in the race standings was, according to the Madrid native, the result of a good performance in the early stages of the race. A cautious and aware approach allowed him to fight during the final stint, seven laps from the end. A result also achieved thanks to his ability to keep the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton behind until the finish, using the used intermediate tires from qualifying.
Therefore, the top 5 represents the best achievable goal in this Dutch weekend. The podium was a distant target, especially considering that car number 55’s race pace, when compared to the leaders, was notably inferior. Despite the “traumatic” return from the break, Carlos feels confident about the upcoming championship race. According to Carlos Sainz, the Italian track should favor the characteristics of the Ferrari, as was the case at Spa-Francorchamps.
Ferrari: the importance of communicative approach regarding technical aspects
The premises leading up to the only Italian weekend, remembering the sad but necessary cancellation of the Imola event due to the meteorological disaster that struck the region, speak of a Ferrari with considerable confidence. These are the initial rumors gathered within the Sports Management from our editorial staff after Zandvoort. However, as always, this scenario will necessarily have to be confirmed by the track to follow through on these words.
In this context, it’s worth considering a reflection on recent developments. Because, after all, words are carried away by the wind, and what truly matters, especially in a complex world like Formula 1, are the facts. Post-event complaints are of little use except to further infuriate, in certain circumstances, the disappointed fans, often referring to “weekend projects” where specific conditions derived from technical support, starting with the Ferrari team principal (see Hungary), emerge.
This is a bit like what happened in the Netherlands, where following the analysis of simulations conducted, the Maranello engineers took the wrong direction with the setup, leading to everything but meeting expectations. However, what’s even more striking in this story is the practically non-existent ability to react in this regard. Numerous tuning experiments that, in practice, did nothing but reinforce two very clear issues.
Number 1: The SF-23 shows evident limitations despite the updates to partially modify the aerodynamic setup. A fickle and capricious car, if we may put it that way. Number 2: The inability to fully understand and consequently solve the problems, at least in part. “And so Ferrari continues to row, against the current, constantly pushed back into the past,” paraphrasing a certain Scott Fitzgerald. Probably harsh but undoubtedly accurate.
In the final analysis, another “conjecture” takes part in the reasoning. Bearing in mind that in various circumstances, Ferrari achieved more when expecting less, it will be interesting to discover the “communicative approach” towards the upcoming weekend. The home Grand Prix, where enthusiasm for several obvious reasons will be sky-high. And who knows, if at least for once, the positive expectations highlighted by Carlos Sainz himself after the Netherlands will finally be rewarded.
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