There are situations in life when you say more when you remain silent. Or, to paraphrase Watzlawick: You cannot not communicate. That was the case after the 6 Hours of Monza 2023. Ferrari vented its displeasure by saying little or nothing.
As is well known, BoP statements were declared a taboo subject in the long-distance world championship even before the season started. While Toyota still found clear words at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, AF Corse is extremely taciturn this time.
The #50 Ferrari 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen had previously finished second but had no chance against the #7 Toyota (Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez) in terms of pace. There was only one brief glimmer of hope when Fuoco made up ground on Kobayashi on fresh tires in the penultimate stint.
While a press release and numerous statements from the LMGTE-Am drivers can be found on the official Ferrari website, the hypercar communication is limited to a 148-word statement that was sent just after midnight.
It states that they expected “to fight under the same conditions as the French race”, i.e. the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After that, Ferrari speaks of “imposed handicaps” that the team made up for with the strategy and the work of the pit crew and the drivers.
Ferrari slowed down more than Toyota
Ferrari was slowed down much more than Toyota in the run-up to the 6-hour race at Monza. The power-to-weight ratio of the Ferrari 499P increased from 1.538 kilograms per hp to 1.581. At the same time, the power-to-weight ratio of the Toyota GR010 Hybrid increased from 1.552 kilograms per horsepower at Le Mans to just 1.567 at Monza.
In general, most of the vehicles were slowed down or kept at the same level compared to Le Mans. Only Peugeot and Vanwall received a boost.
Ferrari normally makes a senior representative of the team available for media talks after the race, which was not the case at Monza. Ferrari is said to disagree with the Balance of Performance (BoP) for the final three races of the season.
The BoP change after Le Mans was made within the framework of the regulations, but the change before the big race was outside the intended change windows.
Analysis of the 40 percent fastest laps shows that Toyota had a minimal lead over Ferrari. Despite three SC phases, this lead for the #7 was enough to bring victory home. Both teams delivered a flawless race.
However, it should be noted that Ferrari did more stints on the medium tyres, slightly tipping the stats in favor of the reds. Asymmetric set-ups with one or two hard tires were occasionally used. Toyota mainly drove on the hard tires and only used the medium-hard Michelins in the last stint.
Toyota technical director Pascal Vasselon sees this as the key: “We defeated our opponents in the second stint today – with good tire management. We got a really good lead there.”
Buemi apologizes for misjudgment
A possible Toyota one-two was dashed in the first 15 minutes when Sebastien Buemi in the #8 Toyota (Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa) received two penalties for two incidents. “I made contact at the start and got a penalty for that. Then came the incident with the Aston Martin [#777]. I would like to apologize for that,” says the four-time world champion and Le Mans winner.
Toyota’s minimal advantage was evident in the battle between Brendon Hartley and Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) in the closing stages. Hartley managed an overtaking maneuver that was important for the championship fight.
In this, the #8 continues to lead by 23 points. So a preliminary decision could be made in Fuji. The #7 and the #51 are tied for second place.
The analysis also shows that Peugeot finished on the podium with the slower car. Cadillac, who had to accept a strong loss of performance compared to Le Mans, but were also allowed to unload weight, are better off in the times than in the final placement.
Porsche was slowed down even more than Cadillac, which is reflected in the times. Even at Le Mans, Porsche hadn’t attracted attention because of its excessive speed; Only the ACO will know why the 963 were so slowed down.
Jota had the fastest Porsche but had problems with the steering wheel. The works cars made the most of the conditions, the Proton-Porsche managed four hours before retiring on its debut and was only slightly slower than the Penske works cars.
The LMH cars without hybrid drive from Glickenhaus and Vanwall still don’t stand a chance, despite their nominally best rating.