Ferrari salvaged a solid haul of points at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola on Sunday, with both cars finishing comfortably inside the top ten. Lewis Hamilton climbed from 12th on the grid to finish a strong fourth, while Charles Leclerc crossed the line in sixth after a gritty drive. However, the weekend once again highlighted the Scuderia’s Achilles’ heel — lacklustre one-lap pace in qualifying.
Both drivers were dumped out in Q2 on Saturday, a pattern that has become all too familiar in 2024. Barring Hamilton’s stunning Sprint pole in China, Ferrari have consistently struggled to place themselves near the front of the grid, leaving them with too much to do on race day.
“Today was a good race with a very good strategy, well executed, good pit stops,” said team principal Fred Vasseur. “But the issue is we were much slower in quali yesterday. When you start from P11 and P12, it’s much more difficult.”
Ferrari’s race pace has been markedly more competitive, and that was again evident at Imola. Hamilton’s result was aided by a long first stint on the hard compound, while Leclerc started on mediums. The two drivers ran in formation for a stint, with none of the confusion over team orders seen in Miami. Leclerc was, however, ordered to give back a position to Williams’ Alex Albon late in the race after a close call that left the Thai driver in the gravel.
“We were clearly at risk,” explained Vasseur. “With a five-second penalty, Charles would have dropped to 10th or 11th. We felt the stewards were leaning towards a penalty, so we asked him to swap positions.”
Leclerc had earlier expressed frustration during practice about braking issues, which carried through into qualifying. Vasseur acknowledged that mechanical limitations, particularly in low-fuel runs, continue to hold the team back.
“I don’t think we have the best car,” he admitted. “Even when we are in good shape in the race, we are not faster than McLaren. We’re there — competitive — but not fast enough. What’s clear is that over the last three or four races, we’ve had much better pace in the race than in qualifying.”
With the Monaco Grand Prix looming next weekend, Vasseur is acutely aware that any qualifying weakness will be magnified. On the narrow, twisty streets of the Principality, track position is everything — and overtaking opportunities are few and far between.
“Next weekend, in Monaco, on Saturday evening it will be almost done,” he said bluntly. “We need to put all our effort into improving qualifying pace. Tyre management is less of a factor there — Saturday will be key.”
If Ferrari want to challenge for victory in Monte Carlo, they’ll need to solve their one-lap issues — and quickly. Otherwise, another strong Sunday drive may not be enough.
Ferrari salvaged a solid haul of points at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola on Sunday, with both cars finishing comfortably inside the top ten. Lewis Hamilton climbed from 12th on the grid to finish a strong fourth, while Charles Leclerc crossed the line in sixth after a gritty drive. However, the weekend once again highlighted the Scuderia’s Achilles’ heel — lacklustre one-lap pace in qualifying.
Both drivers were dumped out in Q2 on Saturday, a pattern that has become all too familiar in 2024. Barring Hamilton’s stunning Sprint pole in China, Ferrari have consistently struggled to place themselves near the front of the grid, leaving them with too much to do on race day.
“Today was a good race with a very good strategy, well executed, good pit stops,” said team principal Fred Vasseur. “But the issue is we were much slower in quali yesterday. When you start from P11 and P12, it’s much more difficult.”
Ferrari’s race pace has been markedly more competitive, and that was again evident at Imola. Hamilton’s result was aided by a long first stint on the hard compound, while Leclerc started on mediums. The two drivers ran in formation for a stint, with none of the confusion over team orders seen in Miami. Leclerc was, however, ordered to give back a position to Williams’ Alex Albon late in the race after a close call that left the Thai driver in the gravel.
“We were clearly at risk,” explained Vasseur. “With a five-second penalty, Charles would have dropped to 10th or 11th. We felt the stewards were leaning towards a penalty, so we asked him to swap positions.”
Leclerc had earlier expressed frustration during practice about braking issues, which carried through into qualifying. Vasseur acknowledged that mechanical limitations, particularly in low-fuel runs, continue to hold the team back.
“I don’t think we have the best car,” he admitted. “Even when we are in good shape in the race, we are not faster than McLaren. We’re there — competitive — but not fast enough. What’s clear is that over the last three or four races, we’ve had much better pace in the race than in qualifying.”
With the Monaco Grand Prix looming next weekend, Vasseur is acutely aware that any qualifying weakness will be magnified. On the narrow, twisty streets of the Principality, track position is everything — and overtaking opportunities are few and far between.
“Next weekend, in Monaco, on Saturday evening it will be almost done,” he said bluntly. “We need to put all our effort into improving qualifying pace. Tyre management is less of a factor there — Saturday will be key.”
If Ferrari want to challenge for victory in Monte Carlo, they’ll need to solve their one-lap issues — and quickly. Otherwise, another strong Sunday drive may not be enough.