By: While Italy is celebrating Antonelli’s success at Monza, the same cannot be said for the other side of the coin: Ferrari. The Brianza circuit clearly exposed, as expected, all the limitations of Maranello’s power unit. Judgement is entirely fair, but care must always be taken not to go too far. Put simply, the post-Barcelona SF-26 was a title-contending car; after Monza, the SF-26 has already been labelled a failed project. In this writer’s view, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Overall, the Prancing Horse’s single-seater has an excellent chassis, but it must contend with an underperforming engine – several heads have already rolled in the Power Unit department, and more will follow. During the Italian weekend, it displayed its already familiar deficit to Mercedes and Red Bull-Ford, but it must not be forgotten that Monza exaggerates characteristics that carry far less weight elsewhere.
ADUO-2 performs as expected
The anticipated upgrade introduced on Ferrari’s power unit worked, but it should be stressed that nobody within the team expected miracles, as Vasseur repeatedly stated in the preceding weeks, and as Leclerc also said immediately after qualifying.
The concerns also emerged in Hamilton’s decision not to pit under the Virtual Safety Car. Despite the Briton’s repeated radio complaints about his lack of feeling with the hard tyre, the Ferrari pit wall opted not to bring the #44 in through fear that he would then be unable to make the overtakes needed to regain his position.
Is driver management becoming a problem?
Another issue that sparked discussion in the days after the Italian Grand Prix was the moment of impasse between Ferrari’s two drivers in the opening metres of the race, when Hamilton moved aggressively on Leclerc (though without doing anything improper). The Monegasque could have taken a tighter line into Turn 2, avoiding forcing his team-mate into the gravel.
The key point is this: Vasseur has so far placed complete trust in the professionalism of his drivers, avoiding any particular intervention, but there is a sense that the situation is gradually getting out of hand.
Another déjà vu for Leclerc
At Ferrari, it was undoubtedly Leclerc who endured the more difficult Sunday, with his race lasting fewer than two laps because of a heavy crash at the Parabolica. The impact, of more than 50G, came after he attempted to resist Oscar Piastri’s overtake while holding a less-than-ideal line; once the #16 SF-26 touched the drainage grate, it bounced and lost the rear.
Frustration was certainly already at a considerable level at that point, given the earlier difficulties Ferrari had faced in trying to defend first from Gasly and then Verstappen. Leclerc therefore tried to push beyond the limit, as he has often been able to do – and sometimes brilliantly – during his Formula 1 career.
The fact that he has never had a genuinely competitive car at his disposal undoubtedly continues to play a significant subconscious role, but that can no longer justify throwing away points in this manner for a driver of his calibre who, in addition to his immense talent, now possesses considerable experience.
Cover photo pbs.twimg.com
Image pbs.twimg.com
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