During the Belgian Grand Prix at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Scuderia Ferrari managed to achieve some decent successes, such as a pole position and a podium finish. However, before this event, the Maranello team wasn’t very optimistic; in fact, they wanted to get rid of this burden as soon as possible. Nevertheless, against all expectations, the Maranello team performed well, thanks also to excellent preparation done at the headquarters, as suggested by Italian journalist Roberto Chinchero.
“In Maranello, they worked well at home because they brought a starting setup that was then copied by all the teams. It’s important to consider that in the sprint weekends, there is only one free practice session, conducted in this case under rain and with limited track time. Essentially, they went on the track blindly. These are confidence boosts and not major achievements, but they also serve their purpose,” said the journalist on the Motorsport Italia podcast.
Furthermore, the expert added with a smile how Ferrari’s predictions are the opposite of what is then seen on the track, and this, perhaps, can become a kind of superstitious ritual: “If there were no Red Bull, it would be an incredible championship, with continuous surprises related to the moment’s updates. This week, the second force was Ferrari. We have now understood that when the Scuderia appears optimistic before a Grand Prix, things don’t go too well, while at Spa Francorchamps, which seemed like a challenging race considering tire management and the type of track, in the end, it was the Maranello team that succeeded, and McLaren faltered. The Belgian GP’s results were difficult to anticipate.” – Roberto Chinchero concluded in his analysis for Motorsport Italia
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