How many regrets for the Rossa
Taken from Caffé#106 by Pino Allievi – FormulaPassion YouTube Channel
See a Ferrari so strong that he fights to the limit to bring home fifth place is something that makes you angry and agitated. From the moment Charles Leclerc put on the Pirelli Hard, and it was just after half the race, his lap times have always been identical or better than those of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. Which is to say that if Charles had found himself in front he would have at least fought for second place, making life difficult for McLaren, or in any case always lying in wait to seize the opportunity.
Instead, no. The Ferrari that returns from Singapore with the modest fifth place of Leclerc and the even more modest seventh place of Sainz, is a Ferrari that leaves you speechless, because It is clear that he has thrown away a golden opportunity. A bit like it had done seven days earlier in Baku, but in a different way. Here Ferrari played it all on the eve, when Sainz crashed right away and Leclerc saw his best time, which was not excellent, cancelled for going beyond the track limits.
Both drivers blamed the tyres being too cold: was it the team’s fault for making the wrong tyre preparation? The doubt remainsexacerbated by the statements of Leclerc, who at the end of the race, unsolicited, wanted to dispel suspicions from the team’s men.
In short, there was some messat a time when Ferrari should have taken advantage of the favorable situation, with Red Bull now playing on the defensive, Mercedes having left the cone of light and McLaren often at risk of making mistakes, considering Norris’ nervous fragility.
And here we are, precisely, with the winner. Lando is very fast and very good. But he has a rather narrow ‘window’ of mental endurance, at the moment. Those two slight collisions with the protective barriers, when he was in the lead, are part of the steps of a growth that for him is slower than others, starting with his teammate Piastri. It’s not a tragedy, it has happened to many to stumble while climbing towards the top, time will heal everything. Then, luckily for Lando who dominated, in Singapore nothing happened, except for the scare he caused and the one he caused to the men on the McLaren pit wall.
Norris beat Verstappen by a landslide and now the gap between the two is only 52 lengths. But Red Bull has shown signs of reaction, it has no longer been passive like in Monza or Baku. In short, a good end of the championship awaits us and now there is plenty of time to enjoy a healthy coffee, since we will speak again after the Austin Grand Prix, in a month.
In the meantime we could see Verstappen, sentenced by the FIA to community service for some innocent swear word that didn’t scandalise anyone, busy shoveling mud in Lugo di Romagna or Bagnacavallo, to help the cause and forget, for a few moments, the inevitable PlayStation. Mine is just a surreal provocation. But why not? It would be wonderful.
#Monday #Analysis #Ferrari #Throws #Golden #Opportunity #Singapore
