Heading into the 2023 Formula 1 season, the Tifosi anticipated a refreshing boost in ambition amidst the arrival of an immensely experienced Fred Vasseur. It almost seemed like things were all set to take a turn for the better, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc looking relatively comfortable and confident around the Frenchman and his entire unit. However, in reality, the expectations have yet again fallen flat.
Apart from the occasional podiums, the Maranello outfit have predominantly failed to hit the mark this season, subsequently finding themselves meandering around the mid-field rather than their ambitious target of competing with the top-runners, Red Bull and Mercedes. Of course, there was hope that Ferrari could re-emerge as podium contenders following the much-needed summer break.
However, if anything, the Reds have only taken a step back in the development race, which was quite evident over the enthralling race weekend at Zandvoort. The Dutch Grand Prix portrayed a slightly different pecking order; While Red Bull retained their top spot, Aston Martin have somehow managed to re-emerge as the second-fastest car.
Fastest laps @ #DutchGP 🚀
✅ Extremely close between #Alonso, #MaxVerstappen & #lewishamilton – 0.07 sec 😱
✅ #Sainz not fast on the softs at end 🤔
✅ #mclarenF1 best of the rest#F1 #Formula1 #DutchGP2023 #f1tech #F12023 #f1twt #F1tv #Ferrari #DutchGrandPrix #DutchDAZNF1 pic.twitter.com/uD5OLNhgoQ— F1_insights (@F1_Inshights) August 28, 2023
Considering Sainz finished ahead of both Mercedes and McLaren in the race, one might assume that Ferrari had the third fastest car of the weekend. However, the truth has turned out to be rather bitter, with Sainz openly admitting that the Reds were barely in the top 5.
Carlos Sainz admits worrying signs for Ferrari ahead of home race in Italy
Following the Dutch GP, Sainz shockingly revealed that Ferrari had the sixth-fastest car, falling even further behind Alpine. “I would say after looking at the Alpine [we were] more [like] the sixth-fastest car this weekend,” he said according to Motorsport.
“I know at some point it looked that we even could fight for a podium but the reality is that when the race was settled when you look at our pace we were just nowhere. But we managed to execute a really good race, we were fighting the whole race with people that were not in our pace, not in our race, fighting a lot quicker cars than us.
#DutchGP🇳🇱: Sainz is under pressure.#F1 #Formula1 #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/l8rLuUx6wB
— F1 Live Clips (@f1liveclip) August 27, 2023
“So, we have to be happy and proud of well-executed P5. Obviously not happy with the feeling of the car and how much I struggled out there today. It has to be one of my best drives of the season, for sure,” the Spaniard concluded.
Overall, Ferrari are already feeling the heat amidst the nearing Italian Grand Prix. With hundreds of thousands of Tifosi set to attend the race weekend at Monza, the Maranello outfit are under immense pressure to deliver their best possible result. Therefore, can either Leclerc or Sainz at least gift their ardent fans with a podium over the forthcoming weekend?