Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari’s strategy is not a major weakness, as he reflects on the team’s current progress. According to the Spaniard, the Italian outfit is improving with their race strategies and decisions.
As a team with an unmatched history in Formula 1, Ferrari is often the recipient of tremendous scrutiny. Considering their Championship drought, there is additional pressure on the team to deliver and fight for race wins.
The beginning of 2022 saw the Tifosi dream of a World title, only for these hopes to be dashed. Since the mid-season technical directive was introduced last year, the Italian team has struggled to fight for race wins.
However, Ferrari made strong progress to conclude this season’s campaign. A victory for Carlos Sainz and a handful of podiums for Charles Leclerc were very positive indications.
Since the floor upgrade was introduced in Japan, the SF-23 was more predictable to drive.
It also became kinder to its tyres, as evidenced by Leclerc’s highly competitive performance in Las Vegas. Though there is still room to improve, a clear step forward was made in widening the car’s operating window.
Floor change introduced in Japan
Still, amidst all of this, there are often criticisms about Ferrari’s operational efficiency. Pit stops, strategy and general team radio communication are heavily scrutinised.
According to Carlos Sainz, the team receives unfair pushback in this respect:
“Over the 22 races, Mercedes and Red Bull also made strategic mistakes,” motorsport-total quotes him as saying.
“If we made more mistakes, then maybe there is still something to optimise. But it is a long way from being our Achilles heel.”
The 29-year-old offered valuable commentary about the impact of tyre wear on strategy.
Sainz outlines that poor tyre management creates more problems for Ferrari to deal with and counter mid-race.
“With higher tyre wear, you always run the risk of being attacked with an undercut, and you practically can’t try and overcut.
“This means you have very little room for manoeuvre strategically.”
If Fred Vasseur’s team fight for wins in 2024, then all areas will be hyper-scrutinised. In this sense, there is nowhere to hide for the Maranello-based team.
With that said, under the leadership of Fred Vasseur, Ferrari has the opportunity to change the narrative about their operational skill.
