The Qatar Grand Prix turned into a complete disaster for Scuderia Ferrari, a race that officially ended their hopes of finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship. Yet once again, questions emerged about whether the team is hiding the real reasons behind its shocking performance.
The race saw Charles Leclerc finish only eighth and Lewis Hamilton twelfth, with neither driver scoring points in Saturday’s Sprint. It was an alarming picture: the Maranello team was among the weakest competitors on the Lusail circuit. And despite the obvious struggles, the truth behind Ferrari’s performance never seems to fully come to light.
The season is practically over, and everyone has now accepted that the SF-25 was a poorly conceived car that only deteriorated further during development. The car launched with world-championship ambitions, yet from the very first races it became clear that those dreams would remain just that — dreams. As the year progressed, the entire paddock understood the reality, except Ferrari, who once again seemed determined to hide behind a very thin veil.
Umberto Zapelloni points the finger at Ferrari
“We have been talking about a disaster since the beginning of the year, and it’s nothing new. But the problem is that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Not even this time were we told ‘the car is wrong, the project is wrong.’ Instead, the blame was put on the tyres. Every time there’s an excuse. And if next year, as the rumours say, Mercedes is ahead of the others, Ferrari runs the risk of not even finishing in the top six.”
These were the words of Umberto Zapelloni during the latest episode of Race Anatomy, broadcast right after the Qatar Grand Prix. The former deputy director of the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport was responding specifically to the comments made by Frédéric Vasseur, who attributed Ferrari’s collapse to tyre pressures.
“This weekend, for us and for everyone, was heavily influenced by tyre pressure. We ran the cars with six psi more than in recent races, and that was a key factor for us. Next week we should return to the standard pressure, and we expect better results.”
These were the statements from the French team principal, who throughout the season never admitted any fundamental mistake, always speaking of “potential” and “execution.” Ferrari has repeatedly chosen to hide the truth, and the reason behind this strategy remains difficult to understand. This approach has created an even more fragile situation away from the track, often harming the team and its staff. It is now clear that Ferrari’s communication strategy must change, because the current one appears, quite frankly, prehistoric.
With only Abu Dhabi left, the season cannot end soon enough. But unless the communication from Maranello changes dramatically over the winter, the damage to trust – both among the Tifosi and within the walls of the factory – may take far longer to repair than the car itself.
Leave a Reply