The Monaco Grand Prix has left more doubts than certainties about the real competitiveness of the SF-23 single-seater. The car seems to perform well in qualifying but struggles in the race. This indicates great inconsistency and unpredictability in terms of race pace and tire management. The latter aspect poses challenges for both drivers and engineers.
The drivers are forced to heavily manage the Pirelli tires, which still show significant degradation compared to their rivals. On the other hand, the Maranello engineers are constrained to adopt conservative strategies to limit risks. However, in Monaco, the unpredictable weather, Charles Leclerc’s competitive race pace, and the unique layout of the track could have potentially placed the SF-23 #16 on the podium.
At the start of the race, Max Verstappen starts on the medium tire compound (yellow band), while Charles Leclerc (and Fernando Alonso) opts for the harder tire compound (white band). Ferrari’s strategy was to make the white tire last as long as possible, hoping for rain or a potential safety car period.
On lap 31, Lewis Hamilton, who is ahead of Charles Leclerc, makes a mandatory pit stop and switches to the white tire. At that point, the Monegasque finds himself with a clear track ahead for the first time in the race and maintains his pace, averaging 1:17.586 in the laps leading up to the pit stop. From the 32nd to the 43rd lap, the race leader maintains a pace of 1:17.675, including some overtaking maneuvers. At this stage of the race, dark clouds gather over Monte Carlo, and the drivers are continuously informed about the weather situation. As Charles Leclerc’s pace worsens in the final laps, the Ferrari pit wall decides to call him in for a tire change.
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The Ferrari man now reenters the track behind Hamilton with new hard tires. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, who are in the top positions, continue to wait for the rain to arrive. Only 9 laps later, rain falls on the Monte Carlo circuit. The entire grid is forced to switch to intermediate tires and the Dutchman manages to complete an impressive 53 laps on the medium tires.
This showcases the undeniable skills of the driver combined with the capabilities of the Red Bull RB19 car, which is gentle on the Pirelli tires. On the other hand, it is emphasized that Ferrari chose not to take any strategic risks. Charles Leclerc (as well as Carlos Sainz, on the same strategy) was not directly fighting for a podium position, but if he had maintained third place with used hard tires when the rain arrived, he would have had the margin to make a pit stop and retain third position. The only uncertainty difficult to assess was the possibility of keeping the used tire for an unknown number of laps. The race pace of the Monegasque driver was indeed deteriorating, but in Monaco, track position can prove crucial in the event of potentially fortuitous incidents.
In view of the next race in Barcelona, a significant package of updates is expected for the SF-23. Solving the tire degradation issue is not a simple task, and it is unlikely to be resolved with the upcoming updates. However, these updates can provide the drivers with more confidence and make the Maranello car less twitchy and more predictable to drive.
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