Ferrari Has Work To Do

Ferrari lost the GP in Mexico despite starting from the front row. This also shows that the Reds are not yet where they want to be. At Ferrari disillusionment occurred after the Mexican GP. The race at over 2000 meters in the Central American metropolis brought the Scuderia some sobering findings:

In a race, Mercedes is not yet within reach. The good speed on a qualifying lap is not enough to challenge Mercedes for a whole race. Ferrari lags behind in too many points. Here is an overview:

Problem Area #1: The Strategy.

Mercedes is in a class of its own in this area. The simulation programs of the Germans are accurate. Ferrari often shows weakness. This became particularly clear in Mexico.

Because Mercedes consistently went through with a one-stop strategy with both drivers and chief strategist James Vowles trusted Lewis Hamilton to survive with an ultra-long stint on hard tires, Hamilton won the race (starting from third place).

Team-mate Valtteri Bottas (starting from 6th place) was still on the podium despite his accident in qualifying.

Ferrari, on the other hand, split his two drivers. The strategists were not sure if they could drive more than 40 laps with the hard tire. Leclerc, therefore, stopped twice. Vettel only once, but later than Hamilton.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto admitted: “We didn’t expect the tires to last so long. Maybe we should have been braver.”

For Leclerc, although starting from pole position, came in only fourth. And Vettel, who started the race from second place, was able to hold off Bottas at the end. Afterward he said:

“Maybe we would have looked better with better team-work.”

Whether the German meant the communication with the strategists or the split relationship with his teammate, he left open for questions, of course.

Problem Area #2: The Car

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is all about having the best car.

“It’s not about being smarter,…to get a strategy to work, you need a fast car and excellent drivers on Sunday. That’s the only way to take advantage of undercuts or overcuts.”

The problem: Ferrari is extremely strong on a fast lap on Saturday. Six poles in a row speak a clear language. But on Sunday, Mercedes has the better package.

Problem Area #3: Pit Stops

This time Charles Leclerc’s rear wheel got stuck. He lost 6.2 seconds instead of 2.5. Also, Vettel is familiar with similar problems at Ferrari. Mercedes is simply better in this area. Team boss Binotto has to drastically improve their pit stops.

Problem Area #4: Tire Handling

Ferrari has improved but still isn’t good enough. The lower tire wear brought Mercedes the victory in the end.

Lewis Hamilton knows: “Ferrari is faster at top speed but has less contact pressure. On Sunday, thanks to our downforce advantage, we use the tires better and are therefore are a bit more flexible in our strategy.”

Sebastian Vettel also commented dryly: “Mercedes is simply faster in the race, as you could see, especially in the fast corners we lost time. There, our car slipped too much, which in turn put too much strain on the tires, and in qualifying, the new tires outplay our weakness in downforce.”

One thing’s for sure: If Ferrari wants to beat Mercedes next year, they need to improve those four areas the most.