Ferrari is likely to be busy behind the scenes after the renewed embarrassment. The team boss is still excluding personnel consequences.
Ferrari once again lost a better result with a failed strategy. Charles Leclerc in third place in Zandvoort, Netherlands, benefited from a mistake made by surprisingly strong Mercedes, but the gap to championship leader Max Verstappen continued to grow. He now has a lead of more than 100 points in the drivers’ standings of the world championship. The second title is unlikely to be taken away from him.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto does not believe in personal consequences even after the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, which was sometimes chaotic for the Scuderia. “We will not change people,” he said after the Dutch Grand Prix. “Stability is so important in Formula 1. We have great people on the team, we are a great team. I have no doubt about that.”
Sainz experiences disaster
At least Charles Leclerc made it onto the podium. But his teammate Carlos Sainz experienced a disaster. First a chaotic pit stop threw him back, then he also got a time penalty. In the end, the Spaniard was only eighth. “It took all the teams years and experience to be up front,” insisted Binotto: “There’s no reason why it should be any different for us.”
Ferrari had a strong start to the season with Leclerc and was considered a serious challenger to Red Bull. However, a series of errors threw the Scuderia back a long way. World champion Max Verstappen leads the world championship standings before Ferrari’s home game next weekend in Monza with 310 points ahead of Leclerc and the second Red Bull driver Sergio Perez (201 each). “It’s certainly a difficult moment,” admitted Binotto. “But we have to react in Monza.”
Pressure is likely to continue to rise
The pressure on Binotto is likely to increase with each further fiasco. The drivers’ championship is as good as lost, and second place remains at most in the team classification. The Scuderia had a good start to the season. After a few years as a maximum third force, the Italians had a competitive car. Leclerc even led the World Cup. Nothing remains of this shine. In view of the series of breakdowns, personnel changes seem inevitable at the latest by the start of the next season.
(mfz)
