A Mercedes in very serious difficulty
The Australian Grand Prix recorded a Ferrari double which has not occurred since the opening Grand Prix of 2022 in Bahrain when Charles Leclerc preceded Carlos Sainz after Max Verstappen's late retirement when the Dutchman was in second place. Even in Australia the three-time world champion had to give up due to a technical problem that emerged in the very first laps. This time it was Carlos Sainz who opened the Ferrari double, scoring as in Singapore a year ago.
At Marina Bay it wasn't a Ferrari one-two because Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton finished behind Sainz. Norris completed the podium last Sunday in Melbourne while Lewis Hamilton had to retire due to a technical problem with the power unit of his Mercedes. When Max Verstappen opened the door for his rivals on the last two occasions in which this event occurred, it was always Ferrari and, secondly, McLaren who were ready. We reached the former Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio who commented on the Australian GP thus: “Sainz has once again been the driver who, so far, has led Ferrari to victory in the last two years. I would have thought twice before separating from him. Not that Lewis Hamilton isn't a great driver, on the contrary, he could bring a great wealth of knowledge to Ferrari, but Sainz is very strong.”
Regarding Ferrari's possible objectives in 2024, Cesare Fiorio believes that the gap towards Red Bull is still too wide to aim for the Constructors' title, for example: “Ferrari is clearly the second force on the track this year behind Red Bull and is already a step ahead compared to 2023 when Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin alternated. Now Ferrari is superior to these teams and behind it is McLaren who is reaping the fruits of Andrea Stella's enlightened management. The one who is not going through a good period is Mercedes, which now seems like a fourth-rate team. In recent years it has lost many valuable technicians who have joined other teams and this has had repercussions on the results on the track.”. As for Sainz's future, Fiorio believes that a project at the moment has an advantage over any other offers, but patience will be needed: “I think Audi wants to have Carlos Sainz as their top driver, a sort of beacon to guide the arrival in F1 of this great manufacturer. The problem is that 2025 would certainly be a 'lost' year.”
#Regret #Ferrari #Fiorio #Sainz #thought
