Aug.31 (GMM) Monza could be even “worse” for crisis-struck Ferrari, according to Charles Leclerc.
Actually, team boss Mattia Binotto has hit back at the ‘crisis’ tag, even though most observers of the Belgian GP were left scrambling to recall a more worrying situation for the Maranello team.
“I think it’s wrong to talk about a crisis,” team boss Mattia Binotto told Sky Italia. “There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a storm.”
Many suspect that Spa simply made plainly obvious how much Ferrari lost when it reached its secret agreement with the FIA in the wake of the 2019 engine legality scandal.
Christian Horner said thinking about how many points Red Bull lost to a supposedly illegal engine last year had left him with a “bitter taste” as he departed Belgium.
“We don’t want to throw oil in the fire,” Mercedes’ Toto Wolff agreed, “but last year and the year before we had to go so deep and work so hard and it cost us some people because of how hard they worked.
“That is why I agree with Christian,” he said.
Binotto said: “We have lost some power compared to last year but everyone lost some power – us more than the others.
“Now we are seeing the limits of this car and as team principal I take responsibility.”
He admits that Ferrari’s home race at Monza this weekend will probably be more of the same, as it is “a power track”.
Andrea Cremonesi, a top journalist for La Gazzetta dello Sport, wrote: “This Ferrari deserves a Monza behind closed doors.”
Leclerc also sounded very downbeat after Sunday’s race at Spa.
“We couldn’t even overtake with DRS,” he said. “It’s bad, I don’t know what else to say. We have to do something.
“We will have to find something and react, as it can’t go on like this,” Leclerc told Canal Plus. “Unfortunately at Monza it should be the same, if not worse, but it is part of my job to re-motivate the team now.”
While the engine is getting most of the blame, Italian journalist Gianluca Gasparini points at the car, observing: “While rivals revolutionised in both chassis and engine, Ferrari only developed the 2018 car without correcting its weaknesses.”
Even Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo and Haas are making progress relative to the works team.
“I think it’s more a question of Ferrari being pushed backwards than us moving forwards,” said Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. “I heard something about Alfa and us gaining almost a second here compared to last year, while Ferrari lost four tenths.”