Jul.8 (GMM) Even Pink Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko applauded a return to the highest step for Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone, after an extended three-year profitable drought for the seven time world champion.
“You may solely congratulate him,” the Austrian instructed Sky Deutschland after the British GP. “You can see his power by way of tyre administration that reveals how a lot expertise and velocity he nonetheless has.”
Hamilton, nevertheless, is leaving the resurgent Mercedes workforce on the finish of the season for Ferrari – and the person he’s changing, Carlos Sainz, is now enviously eyeing the yet-to-be-filled silver cockpit for 2025.
“Take a look at the place Mercedes was six races in the past and the place they’re now,” mentioned the Spaniard after ending P5 on Sunday, regardless of insisting that it was “probably the most stable” races of his complete profession.
“The image is evident,” Sainz added. “They (Mercedes) are creating higher. We have now neither confidence nor tempo.
“Our rivals have improved their vehicles and added tenths, whereas we now have misplaced two or three months of improvement. We have now not made the precise choices lately, however we now have returned to a automobile that we all know and we now have to proceed enhancing it from there,” he mentioned.
“Now we’d like a while within the wind tunnel and at dwelling to kind out a brand new package deal that can actually carry us efficiency.”
Certainly, so deep are Ferrari’s present developmental issues that the workforce fully deserted its newest improve at Silverstone to keep away from “bouncing” and reverted to the Imola-spec automobile.
“It’s been a nightmare for 3 or 4 races sadly,” Sainz’s teammate Charles Leclerc mentioned on Sunday. “The primary drawback is the tempo we now have been dropping for some time.”
One principle is that, just a little like Pink Bull, Ferrari has been distracted these days amid rumours of Adrian Newey’s arrival and the attainable departure of technical director Enrico Cardile.
Staff boss Frederic Vasseur rejects that concept.
“It’s the individuals exterior the workforce who speak about Adrian and Enrico,” he insisted at Silverstone. “We by no means begin our debriefings speaking about this stuff.”
Vasseur additionally denied that preparations for all times with British GP winner Hamilton subsequent yr could have affected Ferrari’s focus. “I’m joyful for Lewis,” he mentioned, “however I’m centered on this season.
“We have now sufficient to speak about at this time and I don’t need to take into consideration that. We could have time to speak about Lewis and welcome him this winter.
“Now let’s concentrate on the job to do. We’re nonetheless second within the constructors’ and we now have 70 factors to catch as much as Pink Bull, but when we are able to rating factors with two vehicles we are able to scale back this hole.”
Vasseur admits that the improve package deal launched in Barcelona has been a significant challenge for Ferrari.
“We did a check between the 2 packages on Friday and we determined to converge on only one package deal on Saturday,” mentioned the Frenchman. “If we take a look at the race that Carlos did right here, the potential was not so unhealthy. After 25 laps he was a tenth from Max (Verstappen).”
Vasseur mentioned Ferrari will “determine in Budapest” subsequent trip tips on how to proceed with the currently-paused Barcelona improve.
“I believe Silverstone is among the most aggressive circuits by way of bouncing, which is certainly one of our weak factors,” he admitted. “Immediately we mounted it and this may give us optimism for the subsequent race.”
