There Ferrari she failed to raise her head in Monza, in terms of results. Never “Leclerc! Leclerc”Of the fans underlined the love that the red people still reserve for a team that is fighting against a formidable opponent, an almost unbeatable package: Max Verstappen and Red Bull. The Dutchman’s first stint was monstrous, done on soft rubber, with minimal degradation and a robotic pace of 1:25 even at the end of the compound’s life.
Little can be attributed to the Ferrari wall this time. With this difference in pace, Verstappen is an Everest to climb. The Scuderia also tried to shuffle the cards, taking advantage of the Virtual Safety Car and gaining a few seconds on the world champion, who however made the difference in terms of pace. Even the soft card was not needed: it could have been useful only if the final Safety Car had returned in time, but in the meantime Verstappen had mounted a set of new soft that would have made overtaking Leclerc very difficult.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto therefore underestimated the qualities of the opponent, as well as criticizing the FIA for managing the last laps: “Max was very strong, it was difficult to beat him. When VSC came out we saw that we had more degradation than him, so it would have been difficult to beat him on the same strategy. We thought we would stop to diversify and the strategy was right. By the way, Max was also ready to stop. If we had stayed out I think he would have stopped in order not to stay in the same race“, He told Sky Sport F1. “We were also lucky because with the VSC removed we lost a few seconds. With two stops we might have been able to take advantage of a Safety Car towards the end of the race, which happened. Too bad then it went like this“.
A few words also about the fans in Monza and about a season finale that now sees the grid fighting only for second place: “For us it is important to do well and try to win races. We set it as our goal: to be competitive throughout the season and from here to the end. There are still many races to try to be and to also correct our problems with a view to 2023. The more we improve this year the more ready we will be for next season. We made some mistakes this year, we have to try to improve from here to the end. Every opportunity must be seized in this sense. The fans? The podium here is extraordinary. Too bad we were not on the top step, the fans deserve it. They gave us an incredible boost, and they gave it to the riders, who drove an extraordinary race. Carlos also had a great race. Among those who started from behind he was the one who made the most beautiful comeback. Too bad for this Safety Car, even for him. He had put on new tires and had the opportunity to grab Russell and finish on the podium. Overall it was a good weekend for us, although there is some regret. But Max remains very strong and the degradation that we have had more than him remains as a question mark on which to improve further“.
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