Could Ferrari’s Zandvoort Tragedy Have A Silver Lining?

Ferrari’s race began with Leclerc overtaking George Russell and moving up to P5. The tide seemed to be turning for the Italian team and the Monegasque was hungry for more. That is why on lap 22, he dove into the pit lane for his first stop of the Grand Prix. He was hoping that the strategy would allow him to undercut Isack Hadjar, who he’d been trying to overtake throughout the first few laps of the race.

Unfortunately for Leclerc, Hamilton spun and put his Ferrari into the wall. He couldn’t rejoin the race, and a safety car needed to be called in to clean up after the incident. This gave everyone who has not yet changed their tires the perfect opportunity to do so without losing much time. It also meant that Leclerc’s early stop turned into a mistake, which pushed him back behind Russell.

The End Of Ferrari’s Weekend

Leclerc was fighting hard to recover from Ferrari’s compromised weekend. He chased the Mercedes in front until he was close enough to attempt an overtake. It took him a while to swap positions with Russell, but he did so with style, moving past the Brit at turn 12 of the track. His overtake was an example of impressive, on-the-edge racing, which reminded fans why he was always regarded so highly by the other drivers.

Leclerc’s happiness didn’t last long. Russell suffered some floor damage during his meeting with Ferrari’s golden boy and significantly slowed down. He was soon told to swap positions with his teammate, Kimi Antonelli. This meant that when Leclerc came out onto the track after his second stop of the day, he found himself behind the young Italian. The Monegasque attempted an overtake, but Antonelli’s mistake led to a spin that put the Ferrari into the wall. Just like that, Leclerc’s day was over, just as it seemed to be getting brighter.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Despite the incredibly tough weekend, there are positives to Ferrari’s situation. The team looked dreadful during Friday’s practice, with Fred Vasseur even calling it “the worst Friday of the last three years”. Still, they managed to turn the car around by the time it really needed to be working. The quick recovery shows promise for the rest of the season.

On top of that, both Ferrari drivers seemed to be happy with the car’s performance during the race itself. When he was talking about the Grand Prix in one of Sunday’s interviews, Leclerc stated:

“It was a good race; the pace was good. We were unlucky in the timing of the first Safety Car, and we’d done everything right.”

His teammate shared his sentiment:

“Generally, it felt like it was going okay. I had good pace compared to Charles ahead of me, and my tyres were still okay.”

The End Of My Ferrari Rant

This time, Ferrari’s heartbreak came from unforeseen circumstances and not, as has been the case in the past, from the team’s mistakes. There was no poorly chosen strategy or questionable decision-making, just an incredible lack of luck. There are virtually no chances for the team to win the Constructors’ Championship this season, but Zandvoort brought with it a hope for a better tomorrow. With Monza being the next race in the calendar, the Tifosi pray that their hopes won’t be in vain.