Rivazza. tosa Tambourello. Almost every curve in the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari has a big sound, many have a big story behind it. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix invites you to travel back in time, even if it only slipped onto the World Championship calendar as a substitute for a Chinese Grand Prix. At least as a European prelude. Perfect timing that after three races, Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari driver, has risen to the crown prince of the premier class and has his first home game in front of a sold-out natural backdrop. A sporting test, but also a test of how to deal with the pressure of expectations.
The 24-year-old Monegasque was able to determine how high it is at the beginning of the week when he was surrounded by fans in a dark alley during a visit to the Ligurian border town of Viareggio and his wristwatch worth over 300,000 euros was missing in the end. The challenger to defending champion Max Verstappen also had to learn that every word in his new role as a favorite in Formula 1 needs to be considered.
He quickly put the assessment that the Dutch rival and he “hated” each other during the time together in karting into perspective. The reason for their early confrontations is not personal animosity, but fundamentally different driving styles. But everything bad has a good side: “Nevertheless, we were both able to make our dream of Formula 1 come true. Today we developed a great deal of respect for one another.”
In a car full of problems: Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel.
(Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP)
The new one tries similarly clarified Number uno deal with the favorite role. To do this, Leclerc does not have to look back ten, but only two years. The 34-point lead in command of the World Championship has recommended that his racing team concentrate on their own further development and not on Red Bull Racing or Mercedes. He has learned one thing in the last two years of racing without a chance: “By focusing we have gained much more valuable insights than if we had looked at what the others were doing.”
A blueprint that could also be transferred from red to dark green, the color of Aston Martin. If you want to correctly classify the quality of Charles Leclerc’s rise, it is best to compare it with Sebastian Vettel’s descent. The four-time world champion from Heppenheim, along with Mick Schumacher, is one of two drivers without any World Championship points, and his Aston Martin racing team is the only team without any points at all. The Vettel who gave Scuderia Ferrari the last sense of achievement before the victory march after the cut in the regulations in this young season – victory in autumn 2019 at the night race in Singapore. It was the beginning of the end of Vettel’s leadership role in the Italian team. Racing team boss Mattia Binotto also lost faith in the former champion, after all the German became the victim of power games in the unsuccessful Scuderia. Favorite Leclerc, on the other hand, received a five-year contract until the end of 2024.
Vettel’s company car: Too heavy, too slow and anything but reliable
Consolidated conditions now prevail in Maranello, unlike in Silverstone, where Vettel is now having to do with problems again. The commitment to the team of Canadian multi-billionaire Lawrence Stroll 2021 was initially a career extension that Vettel could hardly count on. An argument for his commitment: he knows how to win in Formula 1. He had proved it 53 times before. But last year, the man from Heppenheim found it difficult to adapt, this year he missed the first two races due to a Covid infection, and the cold start in Melbourne was a disaster. His company car is too heavy, too unpredictable, too slow and anything but reliable.
The pressure is at least as high as that on Leclerc. Sebastian Vettel remembers how he came to Imola as a child and how he was later celebrated all in red: “It’s always something special to come back here.” However, the ambience alone does not guarantee points: “We still have a lot to do, but there is still a lot to come in the coming weeks and months. The team spirit is unbroken.” It is still too early to think about his expiring contract, the direction must first be clear, which is more than just a technical question, but also one of motivation and patience. “My focus is on the now,” says Vettel, “we’re looking to get back up, that can’t be done in a day, not in a month.”