Special day
Some companies remain over time. Enzo Ferrari claimed that winning at Monza was (almost) equivalent to a world championship. And it was for this reason that, in bad years, the commitment reserved for the preparation for the Italian Grand Prix was something extraordinary, for which extreme sacrifices were required such as the renunciation of holidays in the months of July and August. Carlos Sainz’s pole position in the most awaited race is something magical which is linked precisely to the tradition of Maranello, marked by moments of exaltation alternating with the bitterness that punctually mark the course of the races.
Like a win
Mario Andretti’s pole position in 1982 was an exceptional event that sent Ferrari enthusiasts from all over the world into raptures, because he managed, for a moment, to soothe the pain of Gilles Villeneuve’s death a few months earlier. Sainz’s flash is equivalent to a victory and even more, because it fits into a season of failed promises, of question marks, of fears projected into the future. Carlos, with a tour that will remain indelible in the memoryperformed the prodigy of bring Ferrari back to the top by demonstrating its stubbornness and also hastily forgotten skills, faced with the overwhelming power of a brand like Red Bull whose main business is not to build cars but cans of energy drinks. A gesture, a sign was needed: it came from Sainz, the driver whom too many, in Maranello and outside, consider a second choice, when instead we are talking about a phenomenon whose strength is his seriousness and application. Carlos capitalizes on everything, he is invaluable in making suggestions to the technicians, he has a lively intelligence that leads him to overlook the petty controversies that characterize relationships within any team, especially Ferrari, he has a balance that smoothes the inevitable bumps in relationships between teammates and, when needed, he knows how to get to the edge of that extreme limit that his color partner sometimes exceeds. Despite this, he was often treated as a ‘second manager’ without ever being designated as such, putting him in a subordinate position even in the eyes of the fans.
Sainz’s qualities
Monza instead demonstrated what – regardless of the result of the race – Carlito is capable of doing, which in some ways and behaviors it is so reminiscent of the first Niki Lauda. Its flash then has a thaumaturgical power, in that it not only enhances his qualities but saves a little the hitherto scarce balance sheet of Frederic Vasseur, gives prestige to a Ferrari of which this season only the triumph of Le Mans was remembered, certain poisonous rumors of the market are missing in the background (not all the result of fantasy: they will come back…) it gives a smile back to the hundreds of Cavallino technicians who have been looking for satisfaction since the beginning of the year, with a car like the SF23 that is temperamental, difficult to set up, even grumpy on many tracks. Monza was an opportunity not to be thrown away: Sainz has hit the target and now has many more cards to play in terms of positioning within the Scuderia and in the prospects for a future in which Vasseur has already said that the pivot will be Leclerc, sanctioning an uncomfortable scale of values for Spanish. Let’s be clear, Leclerc is the phenomenon we know well, the only driver who, with the same car, has shown that he can beat Verstappen. However, the ways and times with which Ferrari silently decreed the hierarchy were hasty and inappropriate, perhaps out of fear that the Monegasque would try to settle elsewhere.
Two first guides
With the pole position in Monza, Sainz’s self-esteem will grow, in parallel with the appreciation of its value, which until now was not unanimously recognized by redhead enthusiasts. At the same time, now Ferrari has had the confirmation that it can take advantage of two great (can we say it?) first guides, capable of any feat. As long as the car is always there and not just for one ride.
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