Ferrari wanted to be world champion, finally again, after 15 years of waiting. The car has potential, the drivers too - but in Hungary the Scuderia will probably finally collapse. Charles Leclerc is sober after the boxing strategy destroys what may be his last chance at the world championship.
After Ferrari's capitulation in the title race, the local press was harsh on the "disastrous" Scuderia. There was talk of a "collapse", of an "own goal", yes simply of a self-inflicted embarrassment. It should be uncomfortable in Maranello during the Formula 1 summer break - instead of fighting for the first world title since 2007, the Scuderia in Budapest served the "virtual world champion Max Verstappen", as the Spanish "Marca" already called him next triumph and probably also the second title on a silver platter.
"Nothing works anymore. The Ferrari team goes on vacation with a long and bitter list of mistakes made," headlined "Corriere dello Sport" relentlessly. "Disaster Ferrari, Maranello fails again with his strategy. Hungary, which should have been Ferrari's hunting ground, has become a hostile territory," wrote the "Gazzetta dello Sport" in a similar tone.
Not only the press sees red - the team and star driver Charles Leclerc is also disillusioned. Given that he is now 80 points behind Verstappen, "you don't even have to worry about the world championship as long as we don't get our problems under control," said Leclerc. And these are complex: sometimes it's the car, then the driver like Leclerc recently in France - and now at the Hungarian Grand Prix there were fatal misjudgements in terms of tactics and tire choice.
So it was almost damage limitation that Leclerc saved sixth place at the finish, while Red Bull star Verstappen flew from tenth place on the grid after a "masterpiece" ("Corriere della Serra") to eighth victory in the 13th race of the season. Even the most level-headed Leclerc criticized his team very clearly. "I wanted to continue riding with medium tires for as long as possible, because we had a good pace and everything under control. I don't know why we switched to the hard ones so early," he said meaningfully: "We have to analyze that."
Because Ferrari was not able to get the hard tires up to temperature, Leclerc had no chance at the decisive moment. "We had to stop once more than everyone else, with the hard tires we lost a second per lap," said the 24-year-old: "That's a lot of time in a race."
Too much time to even begin to achieve the double victory demanded by Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. Carlos Sainz in the second Ferrari also missed the podium, finishing fourth behind British Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. "The race in Budapest completes the horror list of mistakes of a season," judged the "Gazzetta".
In view of this fatal series, the pressure on Binotto is also growing. Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher already suspected that the 52-year-old could be released from his duties as team boss during the summer break. Ever since Kimi Raikkonen won the world title with Ferrari 15 years ago, fans have been waiting for the next triumph. The glory of days gone by, when the Reds dominated the premier class with Michael Schumacher, has long since faded.
And although the omens were positive this season with a fast car and a strong driver duo, there is nothing to suggest that anything will change in the last nine races. Verstappen is too dominant, Leclerc and Co. are too insecure and flawed. It will not be easy to explain how this could have happened. Stormy weeks are ahead in Maranello.
