The two drivers, at the end of the race, confirmed that the pace of the Ferrari is what it is, and it’s undeniable that there is some regret.
Japan doesn’t change the substance of things, nor the form. Ferrari leaves Suzuka with many questions and perhaps the only certainty is that they are the fourth force at the start of the season: Leclerc, who managed to maximize everything in qualifying, finished in fourth place, 16 seconds behind the formidable Verstappen, while Hamilton, with a different strategy, couldn’t go beyond seventh place.
A situation that, after three Grands Prix (three and a half if you count the China Sprint), is starting to feel heavy and, at times, even soporific. The early-season proclamations and trust in the SF-25 are fading in direct proportion to the performance the car is currently offering. The Suzuka race is a testament to this, as are the statements made by Leclerc himself.
The Monegasque, fourth at the finish line, emphasized the impossibility of fighting for the podium since, at the moment, the SF-25 has this pace. Here are Charles’ statements: “In terms of feelings, it’s improved, that’s true, the feeling was better, and I have a clear idea of what I want to do for the upcoming races to get better results. But it doesn’t make me smile. When we do everything perfectly as we did today and finish in fourth place with the pace we had… it hurts. When you give it your all and know that, as a team, we couldn’t have done better, and you see that we’re missing 2-3 tenths compared to McLaren and Red Bull both in the race and in qualifying.”
Lewis Hamilton also emphasized Leclerc’s words, confirming that, at the moment, Ferrari is the fourth force with a gap of 3/4 tenths to McLaren. Here’s what the Brit had to say: “I really hope we’ll see some positive changes in the next race, as there has been a bit of a deficit in the first three races between both sides of the garage in some areas of the car. From my side, there was something that didn’t work, so it’s nice to know that, with what I had, it’s the best result I could get. We will progress slowly with the car. It will be interesting to see when others will get their updates for the season. We’ve got a lot of work to do to close the gap with the front-runners, who probably have 3 or 4 tenths on us, so we have a lot of work ahead.”
Time is short in Formula 1, and that’s why Bahrain becomes a crucial crossroads for Ferrari’s season: updates are coming, including a new floor, on a track that, in testing, hasn’t been friendly to the Scuderia. Next weekend, then, will be very important to understand if Ferrari will be able to get back into the World Championship battle, which, at the moment, sees them significantly behind on both fronts.
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari Gallery
