Four tenths of a gap is an enormity in this Formula 1 which plays on the edge of a hundredth of a second. Nevertheless Ferrari is convinced it can play a leading role in the Spanish Grand Prix, where he brought an avalanche of aerodynamic innovations that worked, but not enough to obtain pole position. On the contrary, there are even three teams ahead of it: Norris’ McLaren first overall with a time of 1’11”383, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull second with 1’11”403 and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes with 1’11”701, a time almost identical to that of the two reds of Leclerc (fifth) and Sainz (sixth), also preceded by Russell.
If we look at the simple result, It was a difficult eve for Ferrari. The revolution of the front wing, the bellies, the diffuser and much more did not pay off on the flying lap but if we look at the race simulations, Ferrari is still among the best even if Fred Vasseur downplays it by saying that the objective will be to overtake the Mercedes and aim for the podium. In reality, as light rain is expected around the time of tomorrow’s start, Ferrari is hoping for a cold track to express itself better than the day before.
These are Maranello’s forecasts: cautious, prudent, even if deep down the dream would be to win repeating last Sunday’s triumph in Le Mans and also celebrating the prestigious presence of President Mattarella in the factory, the day before yesterday, to inaugurate the new complex dedicated to electric.
But the performances unexpectedly expressed by McLaren and the always surprising Red Bull were a bit of a shock for everyone, albeit Ferrari is convinced that it has a wild card in its pocket, with the added bonus of Pirelli Soft. Charles Leclerc, in any case, was coldly analytical at the end of testing: “I don’t like that gap from pole, it wasn’t a good day.” The fact remains that nowMercedes is back among the best teams with Hamilton finally smiling and with Russell who precedes his teammate as his primary objective.
Then, with the rain, everything could change. And Montmelò has offered many unimaginable surprises in the past, just think of when Maldonado won with Williams and when Verstappen preceded everyone on his debut with Red Bull. We will see…
#Ferrari #Spanish #qualifying #analysis #Barcelona #merciless #Reds
