Ferrari, with Sainz-Leclerc red alba with an ancient flavour. The secret is lightness

Ferrari beat Melbourne with a fabulous double and the analysis cannot start from what happened the day before, because it's all connected. “We will try to put pressure on our rivals, with an aggressive approach" Like this Fred vasseur a few days ago. The team principal seemed crazy. How can you even think about breathing down Max Verstappen's neck? Unconsciousness? Hope? Awareness?

In reality he probably couldn't even think of doing a double, with the two SF-24s closing in on parade at the Albert Park finish line, giving us Italians a very sweet red alba, with an ancient and familiar flavour. But how did the Red team win its third GP of the season? First of all, he took advantage of the sensational and unexpected withdrawal of the cannibal Verstappen's Red Bull. It's the first obvious answer, but the question is not so trivial.

Because to take advantage of other people's problems you have to be ready, and then you have to win the race, also considering that there are still two Red Bulls on the track, and the drinks came from two doubles. Perez finished the Australian GP one minute behind the Cavallino. Something unthinkable even after qualifying.

The truth is that the Red has grown exponentially. Tire degradation and poor balance seem like very distant memories. It cannot be said to have grown enough to be able to actually compete with Verstappen - who will probably return to impose his law from Suzuka - but certainly enough to put Milton Keynes under pressure, with the team of Horner and Newey forced to push and dare. And well, putting yourself in a position to be breathing down Red Bull's neck is a huge merit, equal to that of having said goodbye to the rest of the group, confidently playing the role of second force of the championship.

Vasseur therefore had not gone mad, he had spoken with full awareness. Since his arrival, and without upheavals, the Frenchman has managed to bring out the best from the current technical group. But most of all the Ferrari – without any ambitions of a world championship, it must be said – appears as a confident, focused and united team.

The team also works well on the track, as can be seen with the work in free practice, with the speed in qualifying and with the performance in the race, including pit stops. And it is a united team, which seems to be proceeding in a single direction also from a technical point of view, no longer groping. Since mid-2023 he has been working on the problems and has gradually resolved them, to present himself at an even higher level in 2024. As recalled by the protagonists, this Red is the daughter of the one that had already closed the distance slightly at the end of 2023. There is continuity of improvement and this is not a given (see Mercedes which in the third year of ground effect is unable to find the key to the problem).

Carlos Sainz he was the author of a champion's weekend, for his mental toughness, determination and consistency. Very fast in qualifying, hammer in the race, superior in work to a Charles Leclerc who instead "argued" with the car too much already in qualifying, without ever finding the right feeling. Yet the Monegasque, although not in good shape, was competitive, beat the McLarens and completed the Ferrari party, moreover admitting that his teammate had deserved to win and had done a better job. Leclerc demonstrated loyalty and fair play, he appeared sincerely satisfied with the red team's triumphant day.

The times of misunderstandings between the two drivers, almost pitted against each other, are even further back. Vasseur's Ferrari is a team that has returned to having fun, which transmits lightness and not heaviness. Of course, with Verstappen on the track, everything would probably have been different, but Perez really suffered a lot with the tyres, the Red Bull was objectively less fit in terms of pace compared to the other times. So who knows.

We like to think that this cheeky and confident Ferrari "led" Milton Keynes to error, forcing it to push too hard and make mistakes. In the meantime we will take it and take it home. Nobody would have believed it on the eve. Maybe just Fred Vasseur. A demon.

Antonino Rendina