F1 | Ferrari must be aggressive, not conservative

We remained like this, a little suspended, with the match in hand, perplexed by Ferrari's step backwards in Portimao. Among the fascinating ups and downs of Portugal, Ferrari did not enchant, remaining at a safe distance from the noblest positions in the ranking.

The minute spent in the race by the usual Hamilton is now almost a sad habit, after all Mercedes and Red Bull are not the Prancing Horse's direct rivals, but overall the role of aspiring third force also seemed to waver dangerously. Because the Portuguese GP told us clearly how much McLaren is still ahead.

Barcelona is already a major event for the Ferrari, because on a probative and selective track we will understand a little better whether the real Ferrari is the one admired in Imola or the lesser-known one in Portimao. The cheeky, fast, drivable and competitive Red in all conditions seen on the banks of the Santerno has given way to a more clumsy, slow and struggling Ferrari with the tyres.

Meanwhile, old "ghosts" are once again haunting Maranello. The SF21 in Barcelona will not have the new floor tested in free practice in Portugal, a piece which in any case - at least from what we saw - seemed to work.

The news was given on Corriere della Sera, according to which the introduction of the new fund has been postponed because it would be part of a broader “evo package”. However, the question arises spontaneously: why not mount an effective update, right in the GP where all the teams, for better or worse, will bring new features to their cars?

Furthermore, the Cavallino will have to understand how to make the tires work adequately, because F1 travels towards increasingly hotter shores and scenes like that of Sainz in the shape of a shrimp stuck left and right with finished tires are not admissible. Even more so if they are the result of an error of evaluation they mark; in fact, the choice - knowing the limits of his own car - of the medium compounds for the Spanish driver and not the hard ones, as indeed was done for Leclerc, who, despite not shining, held his own, taking home a good sixth place, remains a mystery.

Keeping quiet about the total inappropriateness of attributing any responsibility to Carlos for the tire degradation - but can it really be said that the driver compromised an entire race for having pushed with the intention of overtaking Norris? – the Portuguese lesson could be useful for Ferrari to avoid repeating certain mistakes.

The Red team, which has made third place in the Constructors' Championship its seasonal objective, will have to in every way extend that blanket which still seems a little short. If the car, significantly improved compared to the 2020 version, still pays off in terms of power compared to the competition, it also cannot allow itself the luxury of not being well balanced or suffering with the tyres. The Ferrari at Imola had impressed well precisely because of its general balance, its smoothness in corners, the ease with which it found the fastest lap times and its race pace.

In Portimao she returned to rowing against the wind, she seemed vulnerable, a little dull. And if the new surface could help to find load on the rear axle, stability and better manage the tires, the choice to keep it for the future and face the demanding Montmelò circuit without any news on the car is even more serious.

This is exactly the point; Compared to 2020, Ferrari has made a truly remarkable leap forward, it has returned to being competitive and must not stop at the best moment, it must dare to mend the gap created by McLaren, it cannot afford to be conservative or submissive. Nor blame the riders if the wall gets the strategy wrong. Courage, aggression and unity of purpose, to give meaning to a championship which otherwise risks being so interlocutory as to be sad, limp, disappointing.

Antonino Rendina

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