The problem with Ferrari

Ferrari isn’t having the best season this year in Formula 1. I mean compared to the previous few years, this car is a rocket. So why is everyone hating on Ferrari and their strategies and is there hope for the Italian team? 

Ferrari build a rocket

At the start of this season, everyone was shocked by the sheer pace of the Ferrari Cars. since pre-season testing they were absolute rocket ships. They bounced about but they managed to keep the pace. Only Redbull seemed to be able to come close to them on the track.

And that’s been great. Ferrari is one of the most decorated teams in the sport. They have the most constructors and drivers’ titles under their belt from a glorious history of racing. 

Leclerc leads the way

So that’s why when Leclerc won the first race, everyone was thoroughly shocked. It had been a while since the Italian team tasted victory and this season they’ve been fighting right at the top with Redbull. But the task in Formula 1 is to just reach the top, it is to stay at the top, for the whole season if you want it to count. 

What I mean is that yes, Ferrari has built a car that has a monstrous pace. But often they’ve shot themselves in the foot with bad strategy calls. Like Monaco, when they called in their cars to double stack when they didn’t have the time. Silverstone, Where they left Leclerc out on old tyres. And even Hungary, where they gave him the slowest tyres possible while he was in the lead. Avoidable mistakes that could have changed the fate of the team. 

Reliability issues and driver errors are a part of Formula 1. Redbull started the season poorly. They had multiple DNF and World champion Verstappen was vocal about the team needing to step up if they wanted to win. And Verstappen managed to hunt down a 40-point gap to Leclerc, and he now has an 80-point advantage over him. Ferrari has messed up badly. They have just a 30-point lead over Mercedes, who looked slow compared to the Ferrari at the start of the season. 

The Road Ahead

However, the season end is nearing closer and we have crossed the halfway mark in the F1 Calendar. But what hasn’t changed is the Ferrari team boss. Mattia Binnoto’s attitude has been under fire by many fans and even professional racers. 

 

My favourite storyline of the #F1 #HungarianGP – Mattia Binotto chatting to Crofty on lap 26, tells Crofty that he isn’t worried about Verstappen’s pace. Ferrari then goes on to ruin the race for both of their drivers, while Verstappen gets P1. pic.twitter.com/7uMUyrh8GB

— Chris (@chrisdotau) July 31, 2022

Binotto has said that Ferrari has to simply win the remaining races for a chance to win the championship. Mathematically, it’s not yet over for Leclerc, who is having one of his best seasons in an F1 car. Out of 13 races, He’s been on pole for a whopping 7 races. But he’s won less than half of those. Just 3 races. Pathetic numbers for a team who are said to be at the pinnacle of motorsports. 

So in a season where Ferrari has the fastest car and driver, no one would expect their goddamn strategy team to be the villains. And things would’ve been worse if the drivers listened to the pit wall all the time. The drivers have smartly, on occasions dismissed the recommendations of the pit wall and created their strategy. This helped Sainz in Silverstone, where he won his first ever F1 race. 

The solution

So it’s simple right, just change the strategy team, or at least step in and address the issues. Maybe they’re living in a parallel universe or maybe their just looking for jobs at redbull. Whatever the issue, it needs to be addressed. 

Congrats to Binotto pic.twitter.com/iyAeRvcDMF

— F1 MEMES (@f1tr0ll) August 1, 2022

But, Binotto has other plans. In a recent interview, he said that the mood at Ferrari was still good, and nothing would change over the summer break.
“There’s nothing we have to change.”

“We have to understand that and deal with it so that next time things don’t go the same way.”

“If you look at the balance sheet for the first half of the season, there is no need to change anything. It is always about continuous learning and building experiences and skills.”

 

Honestly, it sounds like someone who isn’t dealing ideally with the problem, but hey, I’ve never won a world championship in Formula 1. But then again Hey, Neither has Binotto as a team principal. He’s done it as an engineer during the 2000s, and the difference between metal parts and humans is that humans can adapt with good guidance, metal has no feelings.