Eliminated from the qualifying session, Ferrari had a very strong race in Canada, which gives hope for the Maranello team’s lead, but it’s likely to be a one-off.
| Charles Leclerc (front) and Carlos Sainz at the Canadian Grand Prix (Photo: AFP) |
Charles Leclerc moved up from 10th to 4th, and Carlos Sainz from 11th to 5th at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday. So far, Ferrari’s races have been ruined by poor tire handling, but in Montreal the drivers imposed an excellent pace with just one tire change, for which there are currently two explanations: either the set-up trials were on target, or the track-specific design played into the team’s hands.
In Canada, there are no corners as dynamic and fast as the one that smashed tires in Barcelona, so slow dents and U-turns might paint a misleading picture over the weekend. The team’s driver, Sainz, for example, admitted after the wave that he wasn’t happy at the moment, because he had predicted that tire management wouldn’t give him such headaches in Montreal:
“I knew Canada would be better for us, and that was already proven in practice on Friday. We’ve proven stronger on tracks with lower tire wear and slower corners. Now we’re able to show more of our real pace. We’ll see how we perform in the next two locations, Austria and Silverstone , because these are faster paths.”
Sainz’s honesty certainly deserves credit, because Spielberg, and especially Silverstone, use tires much more than that, and if Ferrari struggles again in those two positions, the lead in Montreal is practically worthless. Of course, on the slow and winding Hungaroring, the Reds can still move, but you can’t build an entire season just on this type of track. Leclerc also knows this, who also spoke factually about the near future:
“I’ll be careful to say we’ve made progress because nobody in Montreal had any particular problems with tire management. I’m feeling pretty good about the tires now, but I stress that this was a very unique track, so we’ll wait and see how we perform in Austria – hopefully confirmation there. We’ve really improved.”
Ferrari can take heart from the fact that it managed to win the last race in Spielberg just a year ago, beating Red Bull with its efficient tire management. Of course, the power order has changed a lot since then, and the Milton Keynes side have surpassed their opponents on all fronts, in any case, if the Italians struggle with tires only half as much as they did in Barcelona, it will prove that they are on the right track. The only question – as in the case of Mercedes and Aston Martin – is whether it will be enough in the long run against Red Bull, which have been 100 per cent so far.
