The Italian press critical of Ferrari after the Hungarian Grand Prix
After yet another debacle at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Italian press had a field day. No jabs at the drivers, but rather at the strategy that once again cost them points.
The weeks go by and seem to be similar for the Maranello firm. With certainly one of the two, if not the fastest car on the grid, Ferrari is far, very far behind in the constructors’ championship. As for Charles Leclerc, he may have said goodbye to his last chances of winning the title last weekend.
During the Grand Prix, followers were infuriated by Ferrari’s strategy, particularly regarding Charles Leclerc. The Gazzetta dello Sport’s article titled « Ferrari. Strategic flop: here’s what didn’t work with the chain of command” severely criticizes the Italian team’s strategic choice, even going as far as saying that « Ferrari’s wall cost them both the World Championship title » for Charles Leclerc and the constructor’s title. After blaming Ferrari’s strategists, Gazzetta praised those at Red Bull, especially Hannah Schmitz, stating that « the entire Red Bull team was doing a better job than their rival. »
Same tune at Tuttosport, which headlines, “Ferrari Catastrophe in Hungary. Verstappen triumphs ahead of Mercedes.” The media even mentioned “hara-kiri” for Charles Leclerc, once again criticizing Ferrari’s strategy. While the Monegasque was in the lead, his pit wall brought him in to switch to hard tires. An inexplicable strategic choice that could leave psychological marks and have an impact on the overall perspective. They also added that Mercedes should be closely monitored as they are dangerously closing in. In fact, the Silver Arrows now have only a 30-point gap with the Italian team.
The Corriere Della Sera highlights, apart from the flawed strategy, excessively long pit stops costing Carlos Sainz a lot of time. Despite these setbacks, the Spanish driver managed to finish ahead of some competitors like Sergio Perez.
The major Italian print newspapers have agreed on the headlines: « Ferrari Disaster! »
From the perspective of Sky Italia, there is more measure in the statements. Although the strategy is criticized: « By unexpectedly revealing its fragility, Ferrari also lost its clarity in front of the wall. » Thus describing the choice of hard tires as a suicidal choice, despite the teams already being aware that these tires could be one second slower than average and difficult to heat up, especially when the track temperature was only 26 degrees. However, the media also adds that Ferrari wouldn’t have been able to compete for the victory anyway, and that only a podium finish was possible.
This umpteenth mistake seems to have definitively shattered Maranello’s hopes of winning the title, despite having developed one of the fastest cars on the grid. The break should do Ferrari good, as they now need to focus on Mercedes, who are becoming increasingly threatening in the rearview mirrors.
