Ferrari: WEC calls, how will Formula 1 respond?
After the success in the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans secured by the Ferrari 499P with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi behind the wheel, it has already been highlighted that on Sunday, July 9th, there will be a “derby” between FIA World Endurance Championship and Formula 1, with the World Endurance Championship competing in the 6 Hours of Monza and F1 taking place at Silverstone in the UK.
In 2022, the F1-75 triumphed in Great Britain with Carlos Sainz‘s first – and so far only – victory in Formula 1 in a race in which Max Verstappen suffered damage to the floor from debris, forcing the Dutchman to struggle throughout the race and finish in seventh place, fiercely defending himself against Mick Schumacher’s Haas towards the end of the British Grand Prix.
However, this year, the SF-23 is not competitive on high aerodynamic load circuits like Silverstone, while the 499P #50 and #51 dream of success at Monza after their victory at Le Mans.
At the Temple of Speed, 50,000 people are expected, and those who have to choose what to watch on television will at least have doubts about what to follow, although the shorter F1 race does not exclude switching between the two events. Today’s edition of Il Resto del Carlino highlights that after the Le Mans victory of the GT team, there is bound to be pressure on the Scuderia led by team principal Frederic Vasseur.
However, Formula 1 journalist and Ferrari insider Leo Turrini emphasizes that the opponents the Scuderia faces in Formula 1 are of a different caliber than the dominant forces in the World Endurance Championship. The experience of Toyota in Formula 1, in fact, shows us that:
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“Aside from legitimate enthusiasm for the masterpiece of the 24 Hours, it is good to be realistic – as stated by Leo Turrini in the columns of the Italian newspaper Il Resto del Carlino – we are talking about two distinct and distant worlds that are difficult to compare. The example comes precisely from the giant that Ferrari has just defeated at Le Mans: Toyota. Well, Toyota dominated the competitions reserved for cars with covered wheels. But when it stepped onto the Grand Prix stage, it literally didn’t even get “touch the ball”. This does not mean that the intelligence concentrated so far in Maranello on the Hypercar project cannot be transferred to Formula 1: these are evaluations that belong to the ownership. Certainly, Antonello Coletta is an excellent professional, no doubt about it.” – Leo Turrini concluded.
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