Contrasting emotions
In a weekend where they experienced everything, from sun to rain to mixed conditions, and which also included the uncertainty of the Sprint race and the single practice session, Scuderia Ferrari returns home with the satisfaction of securing their third podium of the 2023 Formula One season. Once again, it was Charles Leclerc who achieved it. As for Carlos Sainz, he had a disappointing retirement following the collision at turn 1 with Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.
Curiously, as seen at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan and at the Red Bull Ring in Austria before, Charles Leclerc managed to secure a top 3 finish on a weekend featuring a Sprint race.
No “Sprint effect”
Ferrari’s team principal, Frederic Vasseur, speaking to Sky Sport F1, denied any correlation between the presence of Sprints and Charles Leclerc’s performance: “I’m not sure we can judge Charles’ results in the Sprint weekends,” said the current head of Maranello. “They happened on high-speed tracks like Baku and Spa. Moreover, perhaps we manage to prepare well for these weekends because there are fewer practice sessions, and we arrive well-prepared; that’s one of the conclusions we can draw. In any case, we shouldn’t overestimate the significance of the numbers.” – the Frenchman explained.
Strong in every condition
Analyzing the intense Belgian weekend in detail, Fred Vasseur found several positive aspects, although he couldn’t ignore the disappointment of Carlos Sainz’s retirement, denying Ferrari the chance to secure more crucial points in their Constructors’ Championship pursuit: “Overall, I think it was a good weekend because we showed strong pace on both dry and wet tracks, in every condition,” commented the French manager. “In qualifying and in long runs, so it’s been a good weekend for the team. Certainly, from the drivers’ point of view, it went well for one and not for the other: Charles had everything go well, from pole position to the start and the strategy, and his pace was good. On the other hand, Carlos ended his race after one corner.” – the Ferrari boss continued.
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Sainz-Piastri incident
Regarding the Carlos Sainz – Oscar Piastri incident at turn 1, the Ferrari team principal avoided sparking controversies with the McLaren team: “We tried to keep the car on track, expecting a red flag, maybe due to rain, but it didn’t happen. I believe it was a racing incident,” Fred Vasseur said succinctly. “Perhaps Piastri was a bit too optimistic and hit him, but it’s complicated in such a situation. Before the start, it was very difficult to have a clear picture of the race because we didn’t do any simulations during practice, so we all went a bit blindly, even in terms of strategy. I think the pit wall reacted well. We made the right choices, and the pace was good. Now it’s important for us to have these two weeks of break.” – Fred Vasseur concluded at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix.
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