Ferrari finished the first home Grand Prix of this season in third and fifth positions. The result did not exactly thrill the fans, to put it mildly, yet it should not be viewed with pessimism for the upcoming races.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend had started off great for the “new” SF-24 car, which proved to be very competitive in the three practice sessions in Italy. Even in the early qualifying laps, conducted on medium tires compared to the soft tires of the opponents, the performance of the Prancing Horse – at least with Charles Leclerc, who was consistently better than Carlos Sainz during the Imola weekend – was promising.
Then came the moment that (perhaps) changed the course of the entire weekend: the Monegasque made a slight adjustment to the front wing in Q2; and from then on, he was not fully in the running for pole position. The qualifying result was disappointing, especially since “track position” is of fundamental importance at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which was once again clear on Sunday.
Unrealized Potential
At the start, the positions remained unchanged; and from there, the race for the SF-24 cars became complicated. Max Verstappen pulled away, Charles Leclerc did his best to stay as close as possible to Norris, while Carlos Sainz defended against Piastri.
Then came the pit stops, and Ferrari’s strategy was not perfect: the intention was to extend the first stint, but an undercut by Oscar Piastri disrupted the Scuderia’s plans; with the Spaniard losing fourth position and number 16 forced to pit to secure the podium.
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From there, despite Max Verstappen’s collapse at the end, everything remained unchanged. The pace of the top three (separated by less than 8 seconds at the finish) was within 1 tenth of a second. In short, there was indeed a step forward, but several variables were unfavorable to the Maranello team. At Imola, the feeling was that they had not managed to maximize the result; between qualifying, the start, and strategy.
In the Principality of Monaco, however, Ferrari is called to perform precisely on Saturday, which on the streets of Monte Carlo is the decisive moment of the entire weekend.
Open Championship?
And who knows, once the Ferrari technicians find the right setup for the flying lap pace, the Maranello team might achieve results that could reignite the title fight. With a Red Bull that seems to be falling apart (amid departures and not appearing unbeatable on track) and a McLaren risen from the ashes of 12 months ago, the conditions for an exciting championship are all there. The hope of the Ferrari fans is that the SF-24 cars actively participates in it, and there are plenty of elements to make that happen.
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