Sainz Is Ferrari’s Hope For The Future

Ferrari being mediocre at Formula 1 is like Japan failing at judo, Canada underperforming in hockey, or New Zealand faring poorly at rugby. Such a result in each of those scenarios is both entirely unacceptable and utterly shocking.

Prepare to be shocked, because during the 2020 F1 season, Ferrari is nothing more than a glorified back marker in the race for the F1 title. Individually, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes has already locked up his seventh drivers’ title. As far as the Constructors’ Championship, Ferrari is a distant sixth in the points race.

At the outset of the season, the Italian racing giants were the second betting choice to win the Constructors’ title in the Formula 1 championship at odds of +325. Individually, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the second betting choice after Hamilton to capture the driving title at +400.

Neither team nor driver have come close to living up to the hype, or the traditional high standard always expected from the mighty Ferraris.

“We were not quick enough,” Vettel told Formula1.com of the team’s 2020 woes. “Why is always a good question, and a difficult one to answer. There’s always more than one reason, so obviously we know that our car is not quick enough.”

The woes of Ferrari were never better emphasized than in the Styrian Grand Prix. Attempting to squeeze through a gap that clearly wasn’t there, Leclerc collided with teammate Vettel. Vettel’s rear wing and Leclerc’s front wing were so badly damaged that both cars were forced to retire from the race.

Rage Against The Big Red Machine

Ferrari finished second to Mercedes in the constructor standings in each of the previous three F1 seasons. Last season, individually, Leclerc ended up fourth in the driver standings with wins in Belgium and Italy, six podium finishes and seven poles. Vettel was right behind him in fifth. He won in China, landed on the podium eight times and captured pole position for two races.

In 2020, Leclerc finds himself a decent fifth in the driver standings but it’s hardly an impressive accomplishment. He’s yet to win and shows just two podium performances. Vettel is a distant 13th. He’s also winless and has reached the podium at only one race.

Sainz The New Hope For Ferrari

Vettel arrived at Ferrari in 2015 a four-time world champion with Red Bull but he never brought a title to the Italian powerhouse. He’ll be leaving at season’s end and joining Racing Point, which will be rechristened Aston Martin Racing.

In his place, Ferrari will be adding promising McLaren driver Carlos Sainz Jr. He’s currently seventh in driver points and has helped McLaren move to fourth among constructors with 149 points, within striking distance of third-place Racing Point (154).

“He’s a great driver,” McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl told Formula1.com of Sainz. “There’s a reason why Ferrari went after him for next year.

“I really like also the approach, how he deals with the situation, together with us. He is fully committed, very motivational for the entire team and that’s key I think also for the results we are getting together with him at the moment, so I’m really looking forward to the last three races with him in our team, and then hopefully we beat him next year.”

No Quick Turnaround

Team leadership is blunt about why things have gone south for legendary Ferrari, a team that’s won more races (237) and driver (15) and constructor (16) titles than any in F1 history. But their last driving title was in 2007 and the most recent constructors’ title was earned a year later.

Ferrari chairman John Elkann told La Gazzetta dello Sport that there’s been issues with the Ferrari power plant for about a decade.

“We have had a series of structural weaknesses that have existed for some time in the aerodynamics and dynamics of the vehicle,” Elkann said. “We have also lost in engine power.

“The reality is that our car is not competitive.”

Ferrari is hard at work to try and bring the power back to its engines. But they don’t expect to be giving Mercedes a run for the title in 2021.

“Currently, we don’t have the best engine but next year we can have a completely new one,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto told Autoweek.

“Can we reach Mercedes? Perhaps that is asking too much, since it means gaining between 40 and 50 horsepower. But being on par with Honda and Renault today would in itself be a remarkable step forward.”

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