La Ferrari had to get up after the debacle a Baku. The problems of reliability they led the Maranello team to make important choices in view of the upcoming races, which are crucial for the fate of the World Championship. We are now almost halfway through the calendar and the game is played mainly on the development Power Unit management and related penalty. If the Red Bull showed less hassle managing updates on the RB18 the Ferrari he started to suffer those on the F1-75, collecting heavy retirements, three in the last three races. A worrying sign for the future.
In Canada the first one has arrived penalty seasonal for Charles Leclerc. Over the course of the weekend, the Monegasque fitted not one but two new Power Units, in order to have more fresh elements to use in rotation, clearing a single penalty of 20 positions on the starting grid, rather than risking more in subsequent Grands Prix.
A sweaty comeback..
A demanding race that of Charles Leclerc, forced to climb up from the bottom with patience and a good dose of courage. He gets a 5 th at the end of a long and interminable comeback, enhanced by some heart-pounding overtaking but sacrificed by theAlpine gone mad by Ocon. Charles has spent a lot of time behind the exhausts of the blue single-seater, too much. This put the Maranello team and Charles back against the wall. The pit call e the error in the pit stop they gave the definitive blow to the Monegasque stuck in traffic. Resigned, Charles had to start over to complete the comeback behind the two Mercedes, one step away from the podium. He could, and would, have gotten more.
“In the end I had so much fun, but it was frustrating at first. - he said Leclerc at the end of the race. “In the middle of the race I found myself with Ocon who had better tires and I wasn't able to overtake. Then as soon as I pitted there was this little mistake and it certainly could have been better. It's always nice to be satisfied, but I certainly can't be happy with a fifth place. I kept calm, I waited because I knew it was a contest of patience. From 19th to 5th place is good, now we aim at Silverstone to win. "
Well Carlos but Charles makes the difference
Yesterday's for Carlos Sainz, a breath away from the first career victory it was undoubtedly one of the best races since he arrived in Ferrari. He proves to be a very good driver, even if he pays for some mistakes that certain drivers like Max Verstappen, instead they do not grant. The ambition, speed they don't lack them but need more for make the difference, and not just when Charles is away. He still accuses of not understanding the car well but the signal given this weekend is encouraging and the bitterness of not having seen him on the top step of the podium remains on a tempting occasion like this, with “only” one opponent to beat.
“There's no denying it, I pushed hard and I didn't leave a single centimeter under braking or near the walls. I've tried them all to try and attack Max Verstappen but there was no way, I didn't have enough speed to fully approach the hairpin and make the most of the DRS” - Said Sainz at the end of the race.
Feeling this though we cannot but think what Charles would have done seen the good pace of Ferrari and the ability of the Monegasque to pull the rabbit out of the hat. The antagonism between him and the Dutchman is destined to become a film script. Both deserve a World Cup. Max slowly he is mortgaging his second while Charles, yet behind Perez in the league, is facing a mountain that is difficult to climb.
More is needed for the World Cup
"I'm 49 points behind Max, two victories and it's done" – commented Charles at the end of the race. But his eyes say something else. Because if the race of the two Ferraristi was 30 cum laude, the same cannot be said of the team, which demonstrates that it does not have the foresight that serves for reach the end of the World Cup still struggling with RedBull.
We didn't just see the difference between two exceptional riders like Max e Charles and good pilots like Sainz, but also the ability of the team to react to the unexpected. There is always a little fear in radio teams, not by the pilots, that would be sacrosanct. Quite the opposite: it is more the team that relies on the riders. They are the real backbone, when it should be the other way around. Mistakes have weight as much as reliability problems, they should not be belittled and justified. Ferrari's real problem in Montreal was not there Uncatchable Red Bull by Max Verstappen but yet another mistake not granted to those who want to aspire to the iris.
Eyes on Silverstone
The team has a week off before leaving for Silverstone. A crucial week to be able to work e improve aspects that have gotten worse lately, such as pit stops, and also thinking about the battle with Red Bull, intending to bring to the field, or rather to the track, further updates.
