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Beyond expectations. The fifth place won by Charles Leclerc at the end of the Mugello qualifying is the oxygen for a breathless Ferrari and confirms what arose from the difficulties encountered between Spa and Monza.
The SF1000 is not a car that is born well, the power unit is certainly not the most powerful on the track, but in the eight ‘terrible’ days when everything seemed to fall apart and Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel there was also a problem of adaptation to those kinds of tracks, low-load tracks that have sent the SF1000 into a deep crisis.
Ferrari today is an average car in eighth position (if there are news, the scale of values could change) what enters more, as today in Mugello, is dripping fat, when something less arrives is a reason for analysis. Leclerc, who at Monza was the expression of disappointment, showed a cautious smile today, aware of having obtained an unthinkable result on the eve of the weekend.
“I put everything together – confirmed the Monegasque – fifth position is definitely above our expectations, so yes, I am very happy. At Monza and Spa everything was difficult, the car in a low load configuration is difficult to drive and also complex to configure. Here we managed to find the right balance, and the feeling was very good, it immediately gave us confidence ”.
The team put a car on the track that gave Leclerc confidence, and Leclerc restored Ferrari confidence with a placement that is gold these days. In the final fifth box of Charles there was also a contribution of luck, which manifested itself in the form of Esteban Ocon’s top, a circumstance that unleashed the yellow flag that cut the legs of all those who followed him. The gap between Leclerc and poleman Hamilton is still significant (1 ”126) but fewer rivals have gotten in the way than expected.
Speaking of the gap, during the day Ferrari was the one that registered between Leclerc and Vettel (0 “534), a result that was even greater than the margin that separated Verstappen and Albon (0” 445). At this point, the story between Seb and the Cavallino is a countdown to Abu Dhabi, and it’s hard to believe the motivations are at their best. There is a decline, but seeing Vettel ranked fourteenth (behind Kimi Raikkonen) is a verdict that cannot be motivated by a wedding at the end of the credits alone.
There was never the right feeling between the SF1000 and Seb, and perhaps even in Leclerc’s case it is difficult to imagine an idyllic relationship with his car. But there is something else, which hurts the Vettel fans, the Ferrari fans and the Scuderia itself, which also needs Seb to aim for that third position in the Constructors’ classification that remains within reach. The competition can count on very homogeneous tandems, an added value that for the moment runs the risk of failing at Ferrari.
“After two very tough weekends like those of Spa and Monza we wanted to reverse the trend and I think we succeeded,” said Cavallino sports director Laurent Mekies at the end of the day. “Charles got a fifth place, returning at least on Saturday leading the group. ” of pilots who habitually fight each other in a few tenths, which is the maximum we can currently aspire to ”.
“Tomorrow a very difficult race awaits us on a track demanding for both the cars and the drivers but fascinating and spectacular. There will be at least ten cars fighting for positions immediately after the podium and we will have to be perfect from all points of view: strategy, reliability, pit operation. The objective remains the same as always: to score as many points as possible, with the added motivation of wanting to honor the Scuderia’s 1,000 Grand Prix in the Formula 1 World Championship as well as possible. “
