There is an Italian proverb that literally means ‘the Devil makes pots, and not lids’ which applies to Ferrari’s misfortune in the start of the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
Motorsport Italy explained yesterday how Charles Leclerc’s start in the Emilia Romagna GP was affected by a strip of bituminous asphalt which, with the heavy rain falling before the race, made the track terribly slippery.
The report came from Italian journalist Giorgio Piola who predicted in a phone call to the editorial staff the risk of losing grip at the start, given that he also risked falling while he was taking pictures of Charles Leclerc as the Monegasque driver was getting into the car.
Charles Leclerc, then, actually skated when the red lights went out and found himself fourth at the end of the first lap behind the two Red Bull cars of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and also behind the McLaren of Lando Norris. The curious aspect is that a video published by F1 on Instagram highlights how Carlos Sainz also suffered when passing over Charles Leclerc’s starting grid: the video confirms that the Spaniard did not have a slow start, the frames indicate that he was in front of Lando Norris until he reached the infamous black stripe, where he lost grip, perhaps changing gears.
Did that dark black stripe on the asphalt prove ominous due to the bad start of both Ferrari F1-75 cars in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last weekend? It is likely as confirmed by an authoritative figure from Scuderia Ferrari and reported by Motorsport Italy. Most likely from now on there will be someone from the Maranello team who will supervise the starting areas so that the Imola surprise does not happen again.
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