Ferrari: Charles Leclerc on podium holds off rivals as long as possible | 2024 Belgian GP review
07/29/2024 04:42 AM
Scuderia Ferrari narrowly missed the podium in the 2024 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth on track at Spa-Francorchamps. This consideration reflects the race result and driver impressions post-race, without considering George Russell’s disqualification, as his Mercedes W15 car was found underweight in the FIA inspection after the checkered flag.
Therefore, Charles Leclerc still gets a podium, which on track slipped away especially in the last stint when he lost pace against the two Mercedes W15 cars of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and also against the McLaren of Oscar Piastri, who perhaps woke up a bit too late. The Monegasque driver certainly had a good race overall, considering the difficulties of the SF-24 single-seater, especially in the final part when the phenomenon of bouncing resurfaced as the car became lighter on fuel.
The Belgian Grand Prix was still very exciting, with the top six within ten seconds: George Russell did something incredible with a single stop, but it was all nullified by the disqualification, while Lewis Hamilton was effectively thwarted by the team, which called him in despite him explaining that he still had plenty of tire life left. A straightforward race for Max Verstappen, confirming that the RB20 is no longer as dominant as it was in the start of the 2024 Formula 1 season, while Lando Norris, in sixth, ruined his race at the start, once again.
Overall, Scuderia Ferrari must be satisfied with Charles Leclerc’s performance at the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday. The Monegasque driver showed a race pace that was similar to that of Lewis Hamilton for almost the entire Grand Prix, except in the final laps, when he still managed to hold off the charging Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, who were making great progress at that moment. Charles Leclerc managed the hard tires excellently, and even with the mediums at the start, he kept pace with his future Ferrari teammate. Nonetheless, Charles Leclerc is disappointed not to have secured a podium on track.
"I can’t be too happy with today’s race because we expected to be on par with Mercedes, but we finished behind them," Charles Leclerc said post-race. "The positive side is that we managed to keep the two Red Bulls and a McLaren behind us. In terms of tires and strategy, we expected much more graining on the Hard tires, which instead worked well, while we struggled more with the mediums."
"I thought we stopped too early for the first stop, but in hindsight, the Hards were very effective, and as we saw with George (Russell), a single-stop strategy could have been the best. Overall, though, I think we did a good job staying ahead of Max (Verstappen). I hoped for a better result before the break, but that’s how it goes, and at least I’m sure I squeezed all the potential out of the car."
Ferrari, Carlos Sainz’s race marked by starting on hards
Carlos Sainz’s Belgian Grand Prix was practically sacrificed at the start: beginning the race on hards didn’t seem like a logical move for a comeback, especially considering the middle stint with the mediums lasted just a few laps. In the end, the Spaniard did pass Sergio Perez, but starting on the yellow tires, he might have had a better progression and finished closer to his Maranello teammate.
"It was a tough race," said the Ferrari Spaniard. "We decided to start with a different strategy than everyone around us. The start and the first stint were very good, but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough pace to take advantage of them. It’s been a challenging first half of the season for many reasons, but I’m sure we’ll come back stronger after the summer break. Thanks to all the fans for their support. See you in Zandvoort." – the Spaniard pointed out.
It was expected that the SF-24 single-seater would struggle at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, yet the pace shown on Sunday, especially by Charles Leclerc, was not bad at all. Clearly, it’s not enough, judging the car once again as the third or fourth force on track. All things considered, Red Bull didn’t have a great pace today, while the Mercedes W15 car was quite surprising. The 2024 Formula 1 championship is thrilling and goes on a break; we’ll see if the Maranello technicians can gather their thoughts to present themselves better for the last European doubleheader, especially at the Monza circuit in front of the Tifosi, with developments that can make a qualitative leap for the SF-24 car, which has unfortunately clearly regressed over time.
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