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Even Raikkonen is faster than Vettel and Leclerc in Belgium. And then the winner, Hamilton, keeps chasing the records of Ferrari’s hero, Schumacher.
14th place, just behind teammate Sebastian Vettel: Charles Leclerc, a bearer of hope, is flying low with Ferrari.
Photo: Keystone
Very last lap, another corner or two: Charles Leclerc, young Ferrari star, hopeful for an entire nation, a man with the aura of the incomparable Ayrton Senna, some say, tries again. And indeed: the 22-year-old Monegasse, winner in Belgium last year, passes the car in front of him – and crossed the finish line directly behind his teammate Sebastian Vettel.
But nobody claps. Leclerc’s opponents in this multi-round hunt? Romain Grosjean, Haas team rider, last without a point in the World Championship standings.
Trembling in Monza
Are these daysnorth It’s not like that anymore that Ferrari just had problems and was a shadow of itself. The racing team he is ashamed to the bone. Ranks 13 and 14 are in the Ardennes for the duo, who sound increasingly frustrated on the radio, eliminated, there is also the fact that they no longer respond to questions from the command post. You, the proud Scuderia drivers, battle on the high-speed track at Spa-Francorchamps against the drivers of Ferrari customer teams.
And even lose a duel because Kimi Räikkönen takes everything out of his Alfa Romeo and finishes the race in twelfth position. For the Swiss team, he remains with the modest balance of 2 points that Antonio Giovinazzi achieved from the start in Spielberg. However, it is a moment steeped in history. And more than a slap in the face for Ferrari.
Next weekend is on the Monza program, the long-awaited home game of the Ferraristi in normal times. Now they should tremble at the performance at the Autodromo, which is also abouts Tempo bolt works like in Belgium. The consolation: no one sits in the stands who can look in horror at what is happening on the track.
In Belgium but someone is crouched in the chair and hides his face in his hands when he sees the red tragedy: Carlos Sainz junior, spectator, because his McLaren is badly before the start. Y: future Ferrari driver. It should have been a promotion. Can’t seem to go much lower.
Violent Shock by Giovinazzi
The fact that Vettel and Leclerc were not fooled by both Alfa Romeo drivers is due to Giovinazzi, who loses control of his car on lap 11 and crashes into the wall of the tire. Raikkonen just stops, George Russell in the Williams tries to avoid a flying wheel, and it also ends in path limitation. It is one of the few emotions this Sunday that, especially for the trio in front, is quite free from turmoil.
Giovinazzi and Russell crash in the video.
Video: SRF
Lewis Hamilton ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen: The way the top three started, they also crossed the finish line. Hamilton’s right front tire could cause problems and Botta’s left foot showed signs of numbness: Verstappen at Red Bull had no chance against the Mercedes drivers. The Dutchman found this seventh of the 17 planned races “quite boring”.
Hamilton is now 47 points ahead of Verstappen in the World Cup. Anything but the seventh title for the British would be a huge surprise. It would match Michael Schumacher’s best score.
On the other side of the emotional spectrum: Lewis Hamilton, the all-time winner and Mercedes’ record seeker.
Photo: Keystone
Overall, in this condition, the 35-year-old is still primarily a record hunter. In Belgium he has already replaced Schumacher in terms of the most frequently driven kilometers of advantage. The German had driven an incredible 15,110 kilometers in the lead, and Hamilton had surpassed this figure halfway through the Belgian Grand Prix. And after his 89th win, he is just two off Schumacher’s record.
In two weeks he could catch up with ex-hero Ferrari at Mugello. It would be the next big blow for Formula 1’s most traditional racing team: in Tuscany it competes for its 1000th Grand Prix.
