Ferrari is urgently working on car upgrades ahead of the races in Miami and Imola. As the 2024 season progresses, Dr Helmut Marko has hinted that Max Verstappen is comfortably heading towards his fourth straight championship.
During the race in Shanghai, Verstappen revealed the extent of his control, stating, "I could do whatever I wanted with it."
Red Bull's team advisor, Marko, reflected this sentiment, saying, "I think we can start thinking about the world championship again now. Max is one of the greats and he's not even 27." He further added, "Two-stoppers, three-stopper, one-stopper, it was all possible today."
While Verstappen's skills are increasingly apparent, this does not bode well for the excitement of Formula 1 races, according to McLaren's Lando Norris, who trailed Verstappen in China. Norris expressed, "We are seeing more dominance than ever," and observed, "so it is never going to be the best to watch and that's obvious. You have got one of the best drivers ever in F1, in one of the most dominant cars and it is a combination that is deadly," as reported by The Guardian.
Following them, Sergio Perez, also of Red Bull, secured third place, leaving the Ferraris, which were suddenly notably slower in China, behind. These results have led Ferrari to pin their hopes on significant vehicle updates for upcoming races.
Adding to Ferrari's challenges, a growing rift is developing between teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, exacerbated by their confrontation during the sprint race - and then another wheel-to-wheel run-in early on Sunday. When questioned, Sainz pointedly remarked, "I don't want to comment on that," but admitted, "But it's quite obvious that it cost both of us two positions without any benefit."
An Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, commented on the internal strife, stating, "High tension between Leclerc and Sainz - Ferrari is a red shrimp".
Ferrari's team principal, Frederic Vasseur, attempted to downplay the rising tensions and the team's recent underperformance, attributing the latter to insufficient practice with the hard tyres amidst the complex and hectic sprint weekend schedule. He noted, "We discussed it yesterday and today and I don't think there is anything else to say."
Leclerc remained focused on improvements, stating, "I think the upgrade in Miami should help us - that's what we have to focus on now. It will set the direction we go this season, so it's important we get it right."
Sainz highlighted the gap to Red Bull, saying, "We were very far from Red Bull this weekend, so the updates will be very important for this type of track. In places like Australia we are doing relatively well, but Red Bull introduced some upgrades in Japan, and we saw the effect on the track. Let's see if what we get now is anything interesting."
Vasseur reiterated the team's commitment, declaring, "The guys in the factory are pushing like crazy for the next updates."
