Insufficient improvements in the Ferrari clan

We left the Barcelona route with Ferrari SF90 in good spirits in winter testing and bombarded among the logical favorites of the 2019 season.

But it is clear that after five races, neither Sebastian Vettel ni Charles Leclerc were unable to win a single event, even if Leclerc was deprived of a possible success in Bahrain by the mechanics of his car.

The Barcelona round was therefore awaited, with the contingent of new features brought as tradition dictates upon returning to Europe. Ferrari had notably decided to bring forward its engine development to try to catch up with the Mercedes W10… in vain given the result of the Spanish Grand Prix this Sunday.

Beaten by Hamilton et Bottas at the first corner, Vettel and Leclerc saw Max Verstappen sneaking between turns 2 and 3 to grab third place and never let go until the finish, excluding a Ferrari from the podium for the second time this year.

When it comes time to take stock, Mattia Binotto, head of Sporting Management at Maranello, does not hide the fact that the updates to the Italian single-seater have not brought the hoped-for gain.

« The updates made in Barcelona, ​​both aerodynamically and to the engine, worked well and we are very happy with them, but they proved insufficient, asserts the Italian.

We now need to analyze and reflect on what went wrong. I don't think we have a clear answer at this point. We know we have a lot to do and we need to improve.

We do not lose hope. The atmosphere within the team is still good and the desire to do better is great, we must now react with our actions. Congratulations to Mercedes for what they have done so far. »

Vettel disturbed by a flat tire at the start

Fighting with Hamilton and Bottas at the first corner, Vettel could have placed himself in the slipstream of the Mercedes W10s at the start of the race, but saw his pace disrupted by his set of tires. “ Today, we have more or less maximized our result, analyzes the German.

It was obviously a disappointing race for us because we were hoping to be much faster. After the start, I had my chance with the cars in front, but a flat tire compromised my own race.

You don't win the race at the first corner, I know, but I thought I would at least be in the fight with Mercedes. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Catalonia, in issue 2216 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.