A meager haul
Frederic Vasseur emphasized in the press conference following the Spanish Grand Prix that Ferrari beat Aston Martin in Barcelona, which is true since Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line ahead of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. However, as the latter pointed out, Lawrence Stroll’s team overall collected more points than the Scuderia at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona because Charles Leclerc could only manage eleventh place after starting from the pit lane due to issues in qualifying that will need to be investigated in Maranello.
While Carlos Sainz scored 10 points, Mercedes brought 33 back to Brackley with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on the podium, the latter starting twelfth. It was a much more impressive performance than the one displayed by the Prancing Horse, which certainly didn’t generate triumphant headlines in today’s newspapers.
Red decline
Italian daily newspaper La Stampa, for example, does not hide its disappointment, titling its article ‘Red Decline.’ “Curtain falls. The hopes, or rather, the expectations of Ferrari improving its performance, being more consistent, and not just shining in qualifying, lasted only a few laps,” reads the article by Stefano Mancini. “Sainz’s Ferrari started from the front row, began to lose pace, as usual struggled with the tires, and crossed the finish line in fifth place, 45 seconds behind,” preceded by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s Mercedes and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull.
Charles Leclerc fared even worse: 11th place, not even a consolation point, on the verge of being lapped. It is the end of illusions and promises. The technicians in Maranello waited until the seventh race of the year to introduce a package of updates that was supposed to address the significant deficits of the SF-23. And yet, nothing has changed.”
‘A Drifting Prancing Horse’ is instead the title in Il Resto del Carlino. “Another disappointment. Ferrari failed the appeal test. And more than any complaint from fans, it is worth transcribing the words spoken by Charles Leclerc at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix. They are a monument to frustration,” begins the article by Leo Turrini. “To worsen the Monegasque’s mood, there was also a misunderstanding with the engineers during the final pit stop. Little Charles expected them to mount soft tires, but they gave him the hards instead.”
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Four out of ten for Fred Vasseur and Charles Leclerc
The newspaper based in Turin did not spare Charles Leclerc a resounding failure in its ratings. The Monegasque received a four out of ten, a rating justified by having “a soulless race, without fighting.” The same score was given to Frederic Vasseur according to Il Resto del Carlino. “Well, is that it?” reads the rating. “The updates result in a mysterious flop for Leclerc on Saturday and a race where the perennial problems of the red car simply find no solution.” – the article concluded.
