Ferrari's Reflection of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
There is much to unpack regarding Scuderia Ferrari Team’s strategy and tactics. Thankfully, that is not the topic of conversation, so what is? What happened in the Ferrari world during the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend? To start off, Charles Leclerc struggled for pace on Friday during the practice sessions, while his new teammate, Lewis Hamilton, had ongoing braking issues with Ferrari's SF-25. Not only that, but Leclerc had admitted that he had nothing to say about the level of performance during what looked to be a complete mess of a qualification on track. Hamilton was also underwhelmed, to say the least, about a lack of progression as the drivers exited Q2 in 11th and 12th placements.
On a brighter note, Hamilton had a wonderful drive, as he went from P12 to P4 by the end of the race. Both drivers were ready to fight for their positions, and Hamilton pulled off many overtakes and heavily benefited from a pit stop under a Virtual Safety Car. With these upsides to his portion of the race, he was able to finish in the points, again, landing him in 4th position. He was able to reach the checkered flag only two seconds behind Oscar Piastri in his speedy McLaren that landed him on the podium for 3rd place.
Unfortunately, Leclecrc had more of a frustrating time in Imola, even with his fantastic moves that brought him to finish in 6th place. He did pull some feisty moves that got him from 11th position to 6th, but lost a battle with Alex Albon for 5th place on the last lap of the race. The Williams had the power, and the Ferrari driver was left utterly disappointed by the result of it. Even with the timing of the VSC as well as the Safety Car phases, things did not go according to his wishes. Something is missing with the Scuderia Ferrari strategy, which is leaving its oldest driver in the dumps. Hopefully, in his home race, the Prince of Monaco will have better luck, as this track is a lucky spot for him and his immense skills. Make sure to watch the Monaco Grand Prix on May 25th!
