Ferrari fall even further behind

THE absence of the passionate Ferrari Formula One fans who normally make the Italian Grand Prix a glorious home race for the Scuderia could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

While Mercedes and other teams happily move on from one power track at Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix to Monza’s ‘temple of speed’ next week, Ferrari will do so with their heads in their hands. Again.

“We are disappointed and angry, as indeed are our fans and with good reason,” team principal Mattia Binotto said after Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished 13th and 14th at Spa-Francorchamps.

“It’s a difficult moment in a season that we knew from the start would be a tough one, but it’s at times like this that we need to stand firm and look ahead in order to get over this difficult period. It’s the only way we will get out of this situation.”

Britain’s Guardian paper called it a “grim day” for Ferrari while the Italian press were even harsher in their assessments.

“Slow, shabby, unreliable,” said La Repubblica, while Gazzetta dello Sport lamented “a lack of ideas and courage”.

Even if the Formula One website did not hold back, calling it “a shocking performance” from the team.

Binotto has repeatedly attempted to rally the troops, in public at least, but in truth the only way out of the situation is waiting – a long, long time until new regulations offer a fresh start in 2022.

The coronavirus pandemic has seen all teams agree to limit engine development with little chance for upgrades this season or in 2021.

And Ferrari’s power unit and chassis seem to need more than minor tweaks to become competitive again.

“On a track that requires aerodynamic efficiency and power, we were severely lacking in both,” Binotto admitted.

Spa is traditionally a drivers’ favourite with long straights and sweeping high-speed curves highlighted by the Eau RougeRaidillon combination.

But four-time world champion Vettel and prodigy Leclerc limped through qualifying outside the top 10 and failed to find some race day magic – or luck – to land in the points.

After Monza comes what should, amid the coronavirus, be an even greater day for Ferrari – their 1 000th F1 race, now taking place at their own Mugello track due to the reworking of the calendar.

Leclerc has punched above the car’s weight to sneak a couple of podiums while everything else has been a grave lesson in humility.

In contrast to Ferrari, Mercedes are laughing – concerned only by the lack of competition.