Ferrari is among the many teams that are always expected to stay on top of the F1 pyramid. However, in recent years, the Italian team has fallen off the top birth. In fact, since 2008, Ferrari has not gotten a whiff of the championship. This continued downfall has seen the team sit fourth in the 2023 championship standings, with no signs of improvement. This is also hurting the chances of Charles Leclerc who has a championship-winning pedigree. Discussing the Italian team, F1 experts unearth the real reason behind this mediocrity.
Ever since his Ferrari debut in 2019, Leclerc has showcased his superior race craft by outperforming the great Sebastian Vettel in equal machinery. However, unlike Vettel, Leclerc still has zero championships despite his talents. Speaking on The Race podcast, experts revealed their understanding of this unwanted scenario.
The Race journalist said, “They (Ferrari) do have the speed, they’re not bad. It’s just that on Sunday anything can happen, that’s the thing about it. From tire choice to strategery to just actual lap time, anything can happen. You just never know with Ferrari what’s going to happen and that’s really been the downfall, to be honest.”
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The strategic errors were a big part of Ferrari’s 2022 season, which saw them give up their lead to Red Bull. Since then, a lot of changes have been introduced at Ferrari, especially in terms of management. Although despite that, the strategic errors have persisted and earned them a lot of criticism as well.
In fact, apart from the strategic errors, there is another facet of Ferrari that is pulling the team back.
Ferrari’s favoritism toward Charles Leclerc is creating a divide in the team
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It is no secret who is the no. 1 driver in the Italian team. We have witnessed many occasions now in which Carlos Sainz was held back by the team. This individualistic approach is creating a divide and is also holding Ferrari back, according to The Race experts.
“They never seem to get two drivers to pull together as far as working as a team. They’re still very individual in what they want to do come race day. As far as strategy is concerned up to now, and they’ve made a change in that lately, but up to now, strategy-wise anything can happen,” he continued.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Ferrari’s Strategic Blunders Explained Ft. 2022 Monaco Grand Prix
The strategy, the individualistic approach despite the talent in the team, and the potential of the car are also contributing to Ferrari’s horrors. Will the Maranello outfit get ride of this persistent problem or will we see yet another staff overhaul.