At Montmelò the Cavallino suffered on the track, both in qualifying and in the race, despite the initial developments. In addition to the usual Verstappen and Norris, Mercedes is also back at the front. Furthermore, the team principal must manage the relationship between Leclerc and Sainz, whose duel in the initial stages of the race shocked the team
In football they say that after a defeat it is good to take the field after a few days to try to redeem yourself immediately. In Formula 1 it’s not exactly the same, but according to Fred Vasseur, the Austrian GP which will take place already next Sunday will present a different (and therefore hopefully better) situation compared to the one that emerged during this weekend in Montmelò . Because, says the Ferrari team principal, “four teams in two tenths make everything more complicated and potentially different from one track to another” and because “the Austrian track does not have the characteristics of Spain”.
indigestible Spain
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Spain which, again to make a football comparison, as for Luciano Spalletti’s national team was also indigestible for the four-wheeled national team, that of Fred Vasseur. The Cavallino returns home from Catalonia with a fifth and sixth place for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz which were anything but exciting, having arrived on the track which more than others highlights the qualities of a single-seater. The developments brought about did not allow a clear leap compared to the rivals, on the contrary Mercedes forcefully made up for it and, the icing on the cake, the situation of Carlos Sainz exploded, who had no qualms about attacking Leclerc at the start of the race , infuriating the Monegasque. Everything can be put back together, the post-race adrenaline sometimes plays bad tricks and nothing shocking happened for the final result. But it is equally true that Sainz has not yet signed for any team for 2025. And therefore it is not heresy to imagine him more committed to showing off from here on out, rather than acting as a servant knight for his teammate. In short, there are several thorns to deal with for Fred Vasseur.
Ferrari highs and lows, but…
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The SF-24 has gone from the glories of Monte Carlo to explanations of what went wrong. On the eve of Montreal, legitimately looking at the standings, one had even imagined a scenario with Leclerc fighting with Verstappen for the title. Instead the Monegasque, who until the triumph in Monaco had always finished every race in the top 4, between Montreal and Montmeló ended with the worst results of his 2024 season, zero in Canada and fifth place yesterday. The advance development package that Ferrari brought to Catalonia did not pay off, the race pace on the fast corners of Montmelo was even lower than that of the Mercedes and what’s worse, the speed in qualifying condemned Leclerc and Sainz one start from the third row, when in the fight for pole the reds had always been competitive in the recent past. Vasseur has already explained that this will be a season of ups and downs, depending on the characteristics of the tracks. But the growth and consistency of good performances from McLaren, always brilliant in the last 5 races not to mention Red Bull, is worrying and clashes a bit with the version of the Ferrari team principal.
red bull & co. tough opponents
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The direct opponents, moreover, are not watching. In this important weekend they “beat” Oscar Piastri and Sergio Perez, but in addition to the usual Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton performed excellently, the latter far from resigned and projected towards 2025. And precisely Mercedes’ technical recovery must worry the Cavallino, called to find inspiration both in qualifying and in the race so as not to automatically find themselves in anonymous positions on the grid. There is certainly time to make up for it, but against such constant rivals, in the cockpit and in the pits, Ferrari must take a step forward in remaining at high levels and possibly for several consecutive races, a quality to be refined quickly if one wants to think big. Undoubtedly after the peak in the Principality, more fight in the top positions was expected from the reds in the following races.
sparkles leclerc-sainz
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The last thorn for Vasseur is the controversy that broke out between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz over the Spaniard’s attack on the Monegasque on the track in the first laps of the GP. “An incorrect thing because it wasn’t planned in the pre-race” is Leclerc’s accusation. “We had to attack the Mercedes, I couldn’t stay behind them all the time, what are you complaining about?” Sainz’s reply. Who, we remember, received the sack at the beginning of the season to make room for Lewis Hamilton in 2025 and still has to find a place for next season. Regardless of rights or wrongs, the external impression is that Vasseur and the team were taken aback. That Sainz raced more for himself during the season and didn’t always play as a team player was to be expected. And therefore managing these situations better between pilots, without, let’s call it, “misunderstandings”, becomes crucial. But Vasseur and Ferrari already know this. Also because next year, with a certain Lewis Hamilton as Leclerc’s teammate, things won’t be much simpler. On the contrary…
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