Despite a mostly disappointing first half of the 2023 season, Ferrari “still believe” that they can beat Mercedes to second in the Constructors’ Championship, but that it’ll only be possible if they perform a “perfect job”.
Ferrari head to the demanding Singapore Grand Prix this weekend having overtaken Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship, following a successful Italian Grand Prix.
The Maranello-based team were very impressive at their home race, with Carlos Sainz having beaten Max Verstappen to pole position, whilst Charles Leclerc had to settle for third.
Sainz miraculously led the opening stages and put on a defensive masterclass, enough to maintain the lead for 15 laps.
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Verstappen did eventually find a way past, before Sergio Perez also got ahead of the Spaniard towards the end of the race.
Sainz finished third at Monza behind the Red Bull 1-2, with Leclerc coming home in fourth.
The Italians were comfortably second in the pecking order and potentially would’ve won the race, had their tyre degradation not been so poor once again.
Nevertheless, their 3-4 result was enough to move into third in the Constructors’ Championship, where they sit just 45 points behind Mercedes.
If Ferrari can show their Monza pace in Singapore, then the Silver Arrows should be very worried.
The Marina Bay Circuit can be a car killer though, given how demanding the race is on the drivers and the cars.
High heat and unbearable humidity push parts to their limits, something which will be a concern to some teams on the grid.
Ferrari do have a tendency to be quick in Singapore, with Leclerc and Sainz having finished second and third at the venue last season.
Despite the season having started poorly, Monza has seemingly given Ferrari a huge boost and new sense of belief, with Sainz believing that Ferrari can fight Mercedes for P2.
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“There’s still a constructors championship to fight with Mercedes and Aston Martin, which we still believe we can come out on top if we do a perfect job,” Sainz said at Monza, as reported by RaceFans.net.
“I think we’ve done a decent job in terms of development. I think if you look at the development race. I think we are up there in terms of cars that have developed the most,” he added.
“Normally we’ve been lacking against Mercedes and Red Bull in the development fight and this year I don’t feel like we have.”