Mercedes steps up, Ferrari flops
The 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona saw Mercedes place their two W14 cars on the podium, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and George Russell third. Russell made a great comeback from 12th position on the starting grid, a comeback that Charles Leclerc couldn’t achieve as he started from the pit lane and finished the race in 11th position outside the points zone. Former Ferrari engineer Luigi Mazzola commented on the Barcelona race on Instagram, focusing on various topics.
“Hamilton delivered a thrilling 1’16″6 lap time”
“In the end, Hamilton delivered a thrilling 1’16″6 lap time – Luigi Mazzola’s words on Mercedes’ improvement – the updates are working, he finally feels the car is his. It’s not yet at the level of Red Bull, but it’s getting closer. George Russell, despite starting behind SergioPerez, finished third, demonstrating he’s a solid driver.”
Confused Ferrari
“Guys, have you seen the car? Charles Leclerc couldn’t keep up with Pierre Gasly, and towards the end, I heard people saying the performance was there with the hard tires – referring to the words of team principal Frederic Vasseur – but at the same time, Lewis Hamilton delivered a 1’16″6 lap time (Hamilton had the soft tires compared to Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s hards). I’m worried, I see the men are confused, Fred Vasseur doesn’t seem to be able to turn this team around, at least not with what they have now. We’ll see later if new technicians and new things come. You can’t say the car has potential. The performance in qualifying is praised, but if you have a race like this, how can you say there’s potential? There’s some problem instead. In qualifying, they push the engine a bit more, with the soft tire, they can deliver a good performance, but then in the race with all three compounds, the performance wasn’t there.” – Luigi Mazzola concluded following the Spanish Grand Prix.
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