here’s how to win on a slower machine

Vasser could not resist and personally went for the Manufacturer’s trophy. What his colleague Chris Horner and his friend Toto Wolff do not do for a “simple” race. But the Singapore Grand Prix couldn’t be just a race for Fred. It was his first triumph at the wheel of a Cavallino, as well as his debut on the Formula 1 podium. Moreover, the cup arrived unexpectedly, after eight months of hard work, some disappointing figures and far more disappointments than satisfactions. Starting your job as a team manager at the start of a new season is more difficult than you might imagine. Formula 1 is not a football team where you need to motivate and train about twenty athletes.

This is a complex machine that borders on the incredible. with a thousand very good technicians who work day and night to get closer to perfection. Improvisation is not allowed. Intuition itself is not a weapon that can be used. It is not enough to be a phenomenon; planning and continuity are necessary. Do you remember how long it took Schumacher, Todt and Montezemolo, and Brown and Byrne in the living room, to bring Maranello back to the top at the end of the last millennium? The French engineer knew well that there were many bitter pills on the table, but he started with a smile and always continued to follow this path even in the darkest moments.

He changed the technical organization to include Drivers have two gears to control, which are, of course, more difficult to set up than a more complex power unit. And the first major result of this commitment was achieved in Singapore. The SF-23 isn’t the best single-seater yet, but yesterday Charles and Carlos raced as a team for perhaps the first time since they’ve been in the same garage. These two are smart boys and know how to behave outside the car. However, by lowering the visor, everyone is left alone with mistrust. As if defeating the other was the first goal for both.

Something changed yesterday and now it will need to be confirmed., but this collaboration will be fundamental as the car gets better. Leclerc speaks wisely, he is not like an ordinary little prince. An important step forward in his eventual maturation from prodigy to recognized champion. “We need to help those who are lucky, and there is no doubt that in Singapore it was Carlos. He did a fantastic job all weekend and I’m really happy to see him on the top step of the podium.”

Sainz also admits that the team’s help was fundamental: “We may not have been the fastest overall, but we all worked very well together. In the first part, I only worked on making the tires last a long time, not on pushing them. Then I did my best to use the track to make sure the tires would last until the finish. It was not easy at all: the safety car forced us to change seats too early. I gave Norris the DSR because he had the same tires and I knew that by keeping him at 8-9 tenths he wouldn’t beat me. With Mercedes the situation would be different…”

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