Ferrari’s Formula One troubles deepen after double failure at Monza

Associated PressSep 7, 2020, 6:00 AM EDT
F1 Ferrari trouble
MARK THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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Ferrari is in trouble: Double trouble for the F1 stalwart.

In its worst display at its home circuit for 70 years, both Ferrari cars failed to finish the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Italian team has had double retirements at the so-called Temple of Speed before – with the last such incident coming in 1995.

But never before at Monza has Ferrari not featured either in the top 10 of the grid or in the race result, at least with one car.

“This is the worst conclusion of a difficult weekend,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said. “Already yesterday (qualifying) was very difficult. Not finishing the race is even worse.”

After an appalling performance at the Belgian GP, with the cars finishing 13th and 14th, Ferrari was hoping for something better on home soil.

But Ferrari endured a miserable Saturday, and its problems only worsened during the race itself. Sebastian Vettel had a brake failure on Lap 6 and limped into the pits with his right-rear brake disc in flames. His teammate Charles Leclerc crashed on Lap 25, causing the race to be red-flagged.

At least no Ferrari fans were there to see it because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

It was a far cry from last year when Leclerc was cheered by thousands of passionate Ferrari fans on the iconic podium at Monza after he ended the team’s nine-year wait for victory at its home circuit.

The Italian national anthem did ring out, but it was for the AlphaTauri team after driver Pierre Gasly claimed an unlikely victory.

“This year’s very different. I think probably in that regard it’s good there are no fans,” Vettel said. “Life is like this. It always depends from where you’re looking.”

Vettel added “we have to keep our head up and look forward to next week and look at the positives even if they are very few.”

Ferrari will be hoping to do a lot better at next weekend’s race, which is also in Italy, at Mugello. The 5.245-kilometer (3.259-mile) circuit has never previously hosted an F1 race.

There will be a limited number of fans allowed for the first time this season, and it will also be Ferrari’s 1,000th Grand Prix.

However, in a season in which Ferrari is going from bad to worse, expectations are low.

Vettel is a four-time champion but hasn’t finished in the top five this season – and has been 10th or lower in four races – while both cars have retired in two of the eight races (Styrian GP and Italian GP), with Leclerc also failing to finish the Spanish GP.

“It’s clear in terms of expectations you see where we are. It’s not that we can expect an awful lot,” Vettel said. “I hope in Mugello we are in a little bit better place, but that doesn’t mean that we are fighting for the podium so you need to be realistic.

“Expectations are very low but hopefully we have a smooth weekend, a weekend without trouble. That would be a good start.”

The last time Ferrari finished lower than fifth in the Constructors’ Championship came in 1980. The team is currently sixth, and some already will be looking to forget this season, which is not even at the halfway stage.

Not Binotto.

“We shouldn’t forget anything, we need to learn,” he said. “This season will make us stronger.”

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”