Ferrari eyes a rebound at Monza, despite tempered expectations by Vasseur and Sainz after mixed Zandvoort results.
Ferrari appears as the favorite to win the Italian GP at Monza this weekend. Although McLaren F1, rather than Red Bull, is now dominant in Formula 1, Mercedes and Ferrari have also won races this season.
Carlos Sainz, who will leave the Maranello squad at the end of the season, notes that the inconsistency among the leading teams has been remarkable this year.
“McLaren seems to be the team to beat, and the others have issues, whether in qualifying or in some of our developments,” said the Spaniard.
“Red Bull does not seem to have improved much over the season, Mercedes has very good races and others less so. I don’t think any team on the grid has really figured out these cars.”
Ferrari performed poorly during the Dutch GP qualifiers, but proved much faster in the race: “You ask us for a weekend assessment after qualifying, and when we are a second from the pole, it’s a complete disaster.”
“Then, it seems that Ferrari is incredible in the race and that we can win at Monza. We need to find a middle ground between the two, and I think the only certainty is that McLaren is better.”
His compatriot Fernando Alonso, who races for Aston Martin, told Spanish journalists after the Dutch GP that for the “next two races, Ferrari should be the car to beat, based on what we saw last year. So, I think Ferrari will be the favorite.”
Ferrari will also have a significant upgrade on its car at Monza this weekend, and it is said that its engine is one of the most powerful, a claim Sainz disputes: “The engine story is a myth. What happens is that Ferrari tends to build a more efficient car for Monza, where we are good.”
“This seems to boost the engine. Then, if we improve the car, which I hope, it could allow us to take a step forward, but honestly, the improvements we are making today are quite modest.”
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur was asked about Alonso’s prediction that Ferrari would be the favorite at Monza: “If he’s trying to put pressure on us, he should be sure I won’t read his Twitter. I don’t need anyone to tell me if we’re favorites or not.”
“Our approach will be the same, but I hope we will be in better shape in the next two or three rounds. The fact that we are better in short corners will help us, but we were very far off at Zandvoort, so I will never go to Monza, Baku, or anywhere else thinking it will be a walk in the park.”
“Even though we were in much better shape last year on these tracks. But if we manage to make a leap forward by one or two tenths, everything will change. Again, after three races, everyone was convinced Max would be champion by mid-season.”
“Then, we won a few races, then Mercedes, and now McLaren. I hope it will soon be Ferrari’s turn again,” Vasseur concluded.
Sainz believes the drivers’ title is not yet quite decided: “It is clear that if Max continues to finish second or third, I think that will be enough for him to win, because McLaren will also fail at some point.”
“But it is also true that if Max starts to fail, things could get tough. And we all know that, as has been demonstrated time and again, as soon as someone is put under pressure, they start to fail.”
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