We left. After a three-week break, Formula 1 is back, as are the analyzes on a Ferrari that is still too incomprehensible. The Dutch weekend for the red it was really difficult. Very difficult. Say, to describe the Zandvoort GP, which happened would be putting it mildly. Rain, unpredictability, pit stop problems and misunderstandings. Everything and more. La Rossa closes at fifth place with Carlos Sainz, while Leclerc was forced to retire.
Ferrari, the most discussed moment of the Dutch GP
The immediate arrival of the rain certainly disrupted the teams' plans quite a bit. At Ferrari, Leclerc asks to return to the pits and does so immediately. However, there is a timing problem. The mechanics are not ready, They don't have intermediate tires. Leclerc returns to the track with a 13-second long pit. The car doesn't run and there's little to say about this, but it's not just the SF-23's fault. The mistake, in fact, is costly, considering that Perez - who pitted at the same time as Charles - had taken the lead of the race.
Sainz, it is a fifth place that can be considered important
It should be underlined, however, Sainz's performance. You have to admit: could he have done more than that? The Spaniard managed to avoid being overtaken by Lewis in the final part of the race Hamilton almost possessed, defending himself with the intermediates used in qualifying. An important fifth place, as also admitted by himself Madrid in the post-race: “I'm happy to have fought for the podium, in these conditions it wasn't within our reach and fifth place is therefore an excellent result. In the last stint we had to use an intermediate tire that was already used yesterday. It was excellent, in these conditions, to have finished ahead of Hamilton. A result I'm satisfied with, also because the podium in terms of pace was really far away".
In view of Monza...and next year
That there will be a revolution at Ferrari is nothing new. Frederic Vasseur he wanted to highlight the hiring of new engineers several times, but he rightly continues to ask time and – if desired – the many difficulties, combined with a few stand-out moments, are the entire snapshot of a situation, that of Ferrari, in which change and a turning point are necessarily needed. Which will already happen, at least by hearing Cardile – confirmed without major announcements by Ferrari technical director – as early as 2024. But now there is Monza which, no matter how many problems there are, cannot be considered a weekend like any other.
