Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
In his post-race analysis, Roberto Chinchero analysed Ferrari’s weekend. In detail, the Italian journalist focused on the mistakes made by Carlos Sainz, according to him the result of an incorrect approach to the Monaco GP, always with his head turned to Charles Leclerc and with the constant pressure of having to precede him.
He had started the Monaco GP weekend for Ferrari with high expectations. In fact, on the eve of the team’s stated goal, probably by virtue of the simulations carried out, it was to fight with Aston Martin and Red Bull for pole position and victory.
Expectations which, at least on Friday, had been met. The SF-23 appeared fast and capable of giving good sensations to the drivers. As the weekend continued, however, they lost performance, no longer showing itself at the level of its rivals and becoming increasingly difficult to drive.
After the bad qualifying, the Ferraris didn’t do well in the race either, being slower even than Mercedes and Alpine. A race (complicated by the weather) that the two drivers finished in sixth and eighth position, even far from the podium, never able to make an impact and, sometimes, even making mistakes.
Mistakes, even serious ones, which Carlos Sainz made above all: in the first laps when, in his eagerness to take the podium spot, he rear-ended Ocon’s Alpine at the exit of the tunnel.
Added to this was the spin at Mirabeau when the rain started to get heavier. A mistake which, in addition to the fourth place (and the positions lost to the Mercedes cars and teammate Leclerc), could also have cost the Ferrari driver the podium, given the chaos of the pit stops that took place in the following laps.
A race full of flaws to which, in the post-race analysis of ‘Motorsport.com’, Roberto Chinchero provided an interesting interpretation. According to the Italian journalist, his mistakes would be the result of his incorrect approach to the race weekends, never entirely focused on his performance but always with an eye towards Charles Leclerc, with the constant anxiety of wanting to beat him. A mentality different from that of the Monegasque, which leads the Madrilenian to feel extra pressure which at times sees him make big mistakes.
“I have the impression that Carlos Sainz always drives with his eye turned towards Leclerc. Carlos is not indifferent to being in front of Leclerc, it has a meaning. Charles, on the other hand, it’s of little interest. He pays more attention to the final result.”
A weekend in which Leclerc never had an impact, despite not making any mistakes, perhaps due to the pressure of not wanting to look bad in his home race. A situation that the driver of car number 55 will experience this weekend at his home race in Spain. This is an event that will subject him to great expectations to which, according to Chinchero, will be interesting to see how he reacts.
“The roles are reversed in Spain. Monaco was Charles’ home weekend, now it is for Carlos. There will be many Aston Martin flags, but he too will have good support. We’ll see how he reacts under pressure.”
