The Dutch GP turned out to be yet another weekend to forget for Ferrari, as they chalked up a result that can only be described as mediocre. Irrespective of having inferior performance compared to the likes of Red Bull, Aston Martin, and even Alpine, the one thing that Ferrari had going for them was their straight-line speed – the highest amongst all the teams in Zandvoort. Now, as per the F1 Nation Podcast, Carlos Sainz has given hope to the Ferrari fans with a revelation regarding the upcoming Italian GP.
Sainz managed to get a P5 finish in The Netherlands despite his SF23 having terrible balance throughout the weekend. As for Leclerc, things were much worse. The Monegasque had to retire halfway into the race after a crash with Oscar Piastri on the first lap of the race left him with floor damage.
🟠McL’s new rear wing, introduced to reduce the drag, is looking good: the car (very draggy in the previous races) got the 3rd best top speed!
🔴Ferrari was fastest: efficient car + less loaded wing
🔵RB still 2nd best despite the max-load wing
🟢Merc looking draggy#F1… pic.twitter.com/6WWLR1iiqY
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) August 25, 2023
Ferrari had initially thought that changing the wing would do the trick, but that didn’t turn out to be the case and Leclerc was a sitting duck, stuck at the end of the field. To make things worse, Ferrari had yet another pitstop error where Leclerc had come in to put in intermediate tires but the pit crew wasn’t ready with them.
Carlos Sainz expects a better performance in Monza
Despite everything that happened at Zandvoort, Carlos Sainz believes that Ferrari will have much better days in the future, starting with the Italian GP. Following the Dutch GP, Sainz spoke to F1 journalists Tom Clarkson, Christian Menath and Julianne Cerasoli to look back on his weekend in Zandvoort.
He was then asked if the high straight line speed that Ferrari had shown this weekend would be of advantage to them in Monza, a track that is is essential to perform well. Sainz explained that the high straight line speed in Zandvoort was a result of the team not running a high downforce setup.
Embrace the legacy. Feel the passion.
Presenting the new @scuderiaferrari Monza Limited Edition, designed with @pumamotorsport to celebrate the spirit of the Monza GP.#Ferrari #FerrariStyle #ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/XSpApoT1fc— Ferrari Style (@ferraristore) August 28, 2023
For Monza, Sainz expects all the teams to run low downforce setups. But even then, he has greater hopes about his team’s performance. Sainz said, “We will I think have to same top speed as everyone. But our performance should be better.”
Red Bull are still the hot favorites to win the Italian GP
If Ferrari can really manage to put in a strong performance at their home race, it would mean that the Tifosi would finally have something to cheer about. However, with how things currently stand, the most that Ferrari can achieve, realistically is a podium finish.
This is because Red Bull and Max Verstappen are still the hot favorites for winning the Italian GP. If the Dutchman manages to win in Monza, he would break Vettel’s record of having 9nineconsecutive wins. However, given how inconsistent the Maranello-based outfit have been this season, even a podium finish should be enough to make their fans ecstatic.
