After Ferrari's dismal weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 assesses whether the Italian team is ready to end its title drought.
Ferrari suffered their first double DNF in two years due to a shocking lack of pace as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failed to finish the race.
From Leclerc's victory on his home turf in Monaco to power unit issues, team and driver mistakes, and tire struggles in Montreal, Ferrari will be left scratching their heads ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen's win at the weekend moved him 56 points ahead of Leclerc in the drivers' championship, while Ferrari moved 48 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' standings.
Ahead of Montreal, Leclerc believed Ferrari could beat Red Bull for at least one championship this year, but those hopes were dealt a major blow over the weekend.
If Ferrari are to be taken as a serious contender, this season or not, they cannot afford weekends like this where almost everything goes wrong.
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Highlights from the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Strategy and tire issues lead to early qualifying knockout
The Gilles Villeneuve circuit was expected to suit the characteristics of the Ferrari car, with its quick turns and curb handling capabilities.
But a rainy Friday and cool conditions loomed and qualifying was out of the Scuderia's hands. Both drivers safely made it through the first part of qualifying but were eliminated in Q2.
Ferrari decided to send used soft tires to Leclerc and Sainz to save on a new set for Q3. This backfired dramatically, leaving Leclerc in 11th and Sainz in 12th.
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Ferrari suffered a double blow when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz failed to qualify for Q2 at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“The biggest problem was that we were so slow. Every time it was dry we were nowhere to be found and we had to investigate it,” Leclerc said. Sky Sports F1.
“After FP3 we were in the middle of nowhere. The car didn't feel good. There was no grip at all. The tires didn't feel ready.”
Ferrari used new soft tires early in the second quarter as they thought rain was imminent. But the track has improved and other teams on new rubber have surpassed it and made it into the top ten.
Sainz made a mistake in the last corner of the final second quarter, losing about three tenths, which was another reason for his surprise exit.
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Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were both dejected after missing out on Q2.
Sainz said: “If we had done everything perfectly, running the new tires at the start instead of the end and taking the final corners cleaner, a Q3 would have been possible, but the reality was it was too tight.”
“Normally at other tracks, even if we run the track used last, we will still achieve Q3 and fight for pole, but if we don’t get these details right, we get caught.”
Additional engine issues for Leclerc
Things did not get any better in the race as Leclerc suffered power unit problems and was unable to make any progress.
Ferrari tried to address the lack of power during pit stops, which Leclerc described as a new problem, and at first it seemed to be working.
But they also took the gamble of giving him dry tires when it started raining and having to change them again a few laps later when the showers got worse.
The Monegasque driver was soon lapped by the leaders and the engine gremlin returned, forcing Ferrari to retire his car after 40 of the scheduled 70 laps.
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Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both recall a 'frustrating weekend' that saw their Ferrari teammates suffer a double DNF at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“I lost 1.2 seconds on the straightaway, which was very frustrating,” said Leclerc.
“Then I changed the engine 10 times a lap and it was a really frustrating race because I was getting passed by everyone on the straightaway.
“We were fast in the corners, I think we had quite a bit of speed at the start considering the conditions, but with the engine problems there was nothing we could have done better.”
This is not the first time Leclerc's car has had engine problems after the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, with Ferrari analyzing problems with his new power unit.
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Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both recall a 'frustrating weekend' that saw their Ferrari teammates suffer a double DNF at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Another problem at Imola forced Leclerc to use a third power unit and, having also received new energy storage and control electronics from Canada, he is already at risk of receiving a grid penalty due to excessive use of power unit elements.
“As the weekend approached, I said we need to reset with each new weekend, and that’s exactly what we did,” Leclerc said.
“Whatever happened the previous weekend we have to reset and we can’t rely on Monaco’s performance. We knew it was going to be difficult.
“We probably had bigger surprises than we had in qualifying and that’s what we have to look at.”
Sainz rotates as he fights for points.
As for Sainz, who was the subject of a public courtship by Williams coach James Bowles earlier in the weekend, he was unable to match his Ferrari team-mate's pace but felt the car starting to close in on him as the track dried out. outside.
However, an early collision with Valtteri Bottas resulted in front wing and floor damage. Then, while running in 10th place, Sainz went wide at Turn Six, spun and hit the back of Alex Albon's car.
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James Vowles says 'the world is changing' for Williams and Carlos Sainz, saying he would rate it very highly if talks with the Ferrari driver continue.
“It's driver error. In the dry conditions we were a little more competitive and we started taking risks because we had the potential to score some points if we overtook cars on the DRS train, but it ended up costing us,” said the Spaniard. said this.
“If you push a little too hard, it’s another sign when you don’t have confidence and the car isn’t there 100% and you end up paying for it.
“It's quite disappointing to go from your strongest weekend to your weakest. That's F1 these days. You have to analyze everything to get stronger.”
There's a Ferrari behind the McLaren?
Ignoring a huge Monaco weekend, Ferrari lost to McLaren in China, Miami, Imola and now Canada.
They are 40 points ahead of McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, but it is the Woking-based team that has the momentum and the more versatile car.
Ferrari has traditionally struggled in wet, cool conditions over the past decade in F1, and that appears to have remained the case for this year's car.
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Sky F1's Ted Kravitz reflects on the Canadian Grand Prix.
As F1 heads to Europe in the summer, there will be plenty of hot races to help Ferrari. But despite the huge strides they have made under the leadership of Frederic Vasseur, they still don't seem ready for the challenge every week.
Asked if Canada was the most difficult race for him since taking over as Ferrari team principal in early 2023, Vasseur said: “It was the most difficult race weekend.”
“But it certainly wasn’t the best. Sometimes you feel like everything is going wrong and everything is going against you.
“But that's not going to change our approach of working as a team with our drivers, in good and bad moments. We'll keep the same approach next weekend and we'll continue together. I'm not afraid of weekends like this.”
Formula 1 returns to Europe as the championship moves to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix and the start of a tripleheader. Watch every session of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 21st to 23rd June live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. There is no contract and you can cancel at any time.
