Japanese GP: Bernie Collins analyses Ferrari’s strategy gains and challenges of

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins takes a look at how Ferrari have improved strategically as they look to continue to challenge Red Bull; watch every session of the Japanese Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event with the race at 6am on Sunday

As Ferrari head into this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix on the back of an impressive one-two in Melbourne, Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins looks at a key area they have improved.

Red Bull started the season in ominously strong form with one-twos in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but Ferrari’s impressive response has created plenty of excitement as F1 returns to Japan.

Max Verstappen’s early retirement at Albert Park ensured it remained a mystery just how comparatively strong Ferrari’s pace was in Australia, but the manner of Carlos Sainz’s victory from Charles Leclerc was a clear statement of intent.

Sainz was returning from appendix surgery and ended Verstappen’s run of nine successive wins, while Leclerc beat McLaren’s Lando Norris to second place.

Ferrari have not only begun the season as Red Bull’s nearest challengers in terms of pure pace, but also appear to be operating at a high level strategically.

Norris was ahead of Leclerc in the battle for second but Ferrari outfoxed McLaren during the first round of pit stops with an undercut, where the car behind pits earlier to benefit from fresh tyres and gains enough time to be ahead when the other car emerges from its later stop.

Collins, who was head of race strategy at Aston Martin up until midway through the 2022 F1 season, has noticed an improvement in Ferrari’s efficiency…

How Ferrari have been more aggressive with strategy

Particularly in Australia when Ferrari were racing McLaren, Leclerc was behind Norris and in the past Ferrari hadn’t taken risks with strategy, whereas last week they pitted Leclerc earlier than optimum and potentially into traffic, onto a hard tyre they had not run all weekend.

It was quite an aggressive move and it paid off because they undercut Norris and that’s how they got a one-two. It was very tight between them on pace and that sort of aggression got them second.

Ferrari have been heavily criticised in the past for their strategy decisions, potentially unfairly. There have been some…