For the weekend of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, 8 out of the 10 F1 teams brought upgrades to their cars. Ferrari, one among them. The infamous red outfits were hoping that the upgrades would help the drivers find balance and build confidence in the car. But the weekend showed mixed results.
On Saturday during Qualifying, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had poor results, ending up outside the top 10. However, in the race, both drivers ended up in the top 6, with Hamilton in 4th. So, is this what Ferrari expected from their upgrades or was their qualifying pace expected to be stronger than it was?
Did Ferrari’s upgrades work?
Given the mixed results in Imola between qualifying and the race, Fred Vasseur thinks that there is more pace they need to unlock, especially on Saturday.
“The issue is that we were much slower in quali [on Saturday], and then we start from P11 to P12. The weekend is difficult, but the recovery is good. Today was a good race with a very good strategy, well executed, good pit stops,” explained Vasseur.
“Everything went well. I think Charles [Leclerc] was a bit unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car, but nothing we can do. In the end, we have just to improve on the quali pace, because when you start at P11 and P12, it’s much more difficult.”
[…] “I don’t think that we have the best car. Even when we are in good shape in the race, we are not faster than the McLaren. We are there, probably, but not fast enough. What is clear is that over the last three or four races, we have always had a much better pace in the race than in qualifying.
“There is a bit of frustration for us. For sure, we need to put all our effort on this. Next weekend, Monaco, on Saturday evening, it will be almost done.
“We have to [have] much more performance on Saturday. Monaco is probably a bit different on tyre management. We have to do a much better job on Saturday next week.”
Heading to the next race in Monaco, Qualifying pace is much more important as the narrow street circuit provides almost no chance for overtakes. Plus, given how difficult it is to overtake while under dirty air this year, Ferrari needs to unlock their qualifying pace so they can start fighting for podiums as well.
Can Ferrari find Qualifying performance in Monaco?
The Monaco Grand Prix is always a wild card on the F1 calendar. The track is not like most other tracks as it is filled with bumpy and narrow roads, elevation changes, tight corners and almost no overtaking opportunities for these huge modern F1 cars.
Historically, Ferrari has been strong in Monaco. Last year, Leclerc won the Grand Prix by taking pole position. He is also the home hero, which should give him an edge among the drivers on the grid. Let’s also not forget Lewis Hamilton, who has won the Monaco Grand Prix 3 times.
How Will the Secondary Mandatory Pitstop Affect the Monaco GP
In a circuit like Monaco, where the walls are so close, performance is highly dependent on the drivers’ confidence with the car and the circuit, more on the car’s pace. So during the 3 practice sessions, Ferrari will want both Leclerc and Hamilton to build as much confidence as possible with the car and track. This should allow them to have a strong performance in the streets of Monte Carlo.
Do you think Ferrari can win the Monaco Grand Prix again? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
