And we’re back: F1 to resume in A1 Ring

WAS it a stunt? Yeah, of course it was. What a stunt it was, though. The familiar sound as they fired up the engine. The image of the guy in the driver’s seat lowering his visor before pulling out of the famous factory in Maranello and taking to the streets of Ferrari’s home town in order to “drive to work”. Charles Leclerc’s journey from the famous red-walled base of the Scuderia to their test track at Fiorano gained for Ferrari so much needed publicity at a time when their visibility has been greatly reduced – Ferrari don’t advertise in the traditional sense, they do their talking on the track. More than that though it was a statement to all the world that they were back, and more importantly even than that, that Italy is back.

Ferrari are said to embody the spirit of the nation. The élan, the style, the stunning craftsmanship famous the world over. Ferrari are the artisans on a grid full of cool, calculating engineers. Ferrari are passion and pride. Ferrari are racing itself. It’s an unfair burden in a lot of ways the aura which attaches itself to the legendary Enzo Ferrari’s team. The pressure that comes along with it can stifle and they’ve more often than not underachieved in the years since their most recent, Schumacher-inspired, heyday.

That will almost certainly be the case when the new season gets underway this weekend. Winter-testing was an age ago admittedly and can be an unreliable guide at the best of times, but Ferrari really didn’t look on the pace as the cars pounded around the Circuit de Catalunya last February. Ferrari have been caught off guard and, with team principal Mattia Binotto confirming this week that the red cars are unlikely to see any upgrades until at least the third round of the season in Hungary, it could be a really difficult start to the season for the Italians.

Mercedes Benz and Lewis Hamilton will march on metronomically as always. Perhaps, Red Bull Honda and Max Verstappen will rise to challenge them. Perhaps, not. And even if Ferrari do, as expected, struggle, they’ll still be Ferrari. Those red cars will still be the most alluring on the grid. That’s real prestige.