Mid-season review: Ferrari, a well-matched duo

Could Scuderia Ferrari do worse than last year? In 2020, the Italian team had one of its worst seasons in F1 history, devoid of victory with only three podiums and a sixth place in the constructors’ championship. Nothing worked for the SF1000 with a significant loss of power from its engine and a faulty chassis, preventing it from competing with the best cars on the grid. The team’s objective for 2021 was therefore to start over on solid ground and above all to restore its image.

After a catastrophic season, Ferrari has decided to make some changes. Starting with the arrival of Carlos Sainz. Straight from McLaren, the Spaniard is realizing his dream of driving for Ferrari. By his side, Charles Leclerc is in his third season in red.

Before the start of the season, Mattia Binotto, the team boss, expressed rather high ambitions for 2021: “Third place should be our minimum goal. Saying that we can fight for the championship would be unrealistic.” Although the team with the prancing horse has made improvements to the car, the gap with Mercedes and Red Bull remains huge. A power increase of 50hp on the engine and some modifications to the chassis have been mentioned. To consistently compete for top positions, we will have to wait until 2022 and the new regulations.

An effective duo

Since Sebastian Vettel’s era has ended, Ferrari had to react quickly to find his replacement. And they didn’t wait long. During the 2020 season, the team announced the arrival of Sainz, who had a very good last season with McLaren. Between the desire to confirm for Leclerc and the desire to prove for the Spaniard, the duo showed promise. And rightfully so. At mid-season, the Italian team is already doing better than last year. They are in third place with 163 points and have already surpassed their dismal 2020 result (131 points).

The duo is efficient and complements each other perfectly. When one of the two drivers is struggling, the second manages to exceed expectations in a car that still lags behind its competitors. Sainz has 83 points in the drivers’ standings, while the Monegasque has 80 points. A small gap proving the complementarity of the drivers. Very convincing results for Ferrari, which expects a lot from its pair. For comparison, McLaren is on par with Ferrari thanks to Lando Norris’ performances. He alone has 113 points, while Ricciardo is lagging behind (50 points). If the Australian were to repeat the same results as his teammate, McLaren would be ahead. Binotto is very proud of his drivers and even believes that he has the best pair in the entire paddock. In terms of consistent results, he may not be entirely wrong.

Charles Leclerc, time for confirmation

Charles Leclerc needs no introduction, destined for a bright future with a world championship title. He will have to wait until 2022 to fight for the title. After going through hell in 2020, Leclerc was eager to bounce back this year. With some improvements to his car, the Monegasque driver aims to showcase all his talent and try to clinch some podiums. Leclerc must be consistent and avoid silly mistakes. This season, the driver is enjoying himself a lot with his teammate. And the results are there to prove it. Regularly in Q3, Leclerc continues to achieve feats with his car. Twice, he has secured pole position. In a still unusual season, Charles must also contend with bad luck.

In Monaco, he grabbed pole position for the first time since 2019. But during his second qualifying lap, the driver hit the safety barrier, damaging the gearbox. While the mechanics tried everything to get the car back on track for the Grand Prix, Leclerc faced the same issue during the warm-up lap. In front of his fans, he couldn’t participate in the race. To make matters worse, in Hungary, Lance Stroll collided with him violently, costing him an engine. Sometimes, he can only blame his car. At Silverstone, the driver reached the second step of the podium. The power and speed gap with Mercedes is too big. Although he held the lead since the second lap, Lewis Hamilton caught up with him at the end of the race, crushing any hope of a first victory since Monza 2019. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Leclerc on the podium again this season. He manages to take advantage of other drivers’ mistakes. With a bit more luck, he could finish in the top 5 drivers of the season.

Carlos Sainz, in progression

With Ferrari’s difficult season last year, some thought Carlos Sainz had made a mistake joining the Italian team. However, the Spaniard persisted in believing the opposite despite his interesting performances with McLaren. This season, the driver is proving that he was right and is giving his best. Continuously improving, Sainz has even outperformed his teammate with his three extra points. In Hungary, Sainz, starting 15th, took advantage of early race accidents to finish in third place. This is not the only feat of the year. He finished second in Monaco. During these two races, his teammate was forced to retire.

With two podiums already secured, he confirms the expectations placed on him. Sainz does not seem intimidated by Ferrari’s ambitions. If the real changes will take place in 2022, the Spaniard can hope to disrupt the top positions and why not dream of a victory in a Grand Prix. There is no doubt about his motivation in the team’s rebuilding project.

The teammates’ match

Nine Q3s and fourth in the sprint race in Great Britain, Leclerc dominates the debates against his teammate (10-1). As for Sainz, he experiences some difficulties during the qualifications, but he is not far behind. His strong point remains the races, even if the Monegasque is always slightly ahead (6-5). It is up to him to continue to progress in the qualifications to compete with Leclerc. The two retirements of the latter have cost important points.

Ferrari is doing better. This season’s car allows them to compete at the top. We can feel a team that is more comfortable and motivated to excel despite the challenges. While aiming for the title is still unthinkable, the Italian team can rely on its effective duo. The two drivers get along very well and bring good results. As announced before the start of the season, Ferrari prefers to wait until 2022 to compete again with Mercedes and Red Bull. Before that, there are still many races to be completed and a third place to maintain.