Scuderia Ferrari is clearly now in a “real crisis”, the Italian media has proclaimed after the race in Barcelona. After four consecutive Mercedes 1-2s, hopes were high for the Spanish grand prix, staged at Barcelona where the Maranello team had dominated in the winter pre-season testing sessions. But on Saturday and Sunday, Mercedes were once again first and second in both qualifying and the race.
“What has happened to the reds?” wondered La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Umberto Zapelloni. He called the current situation a “real crisis” for Ferrari. Well known Italian blogger Leo Turrini added: “Barcelona was supposed to be a weekend of truth, and it was.”
Indeed, Ferrari was beaten in Barcelona not just by Mercedes, but also an improved Red Bull: “Ferrari had to react, but nothing came of it,” noted Daniele Sparisci, writing for Corriere della Sera. He stopped short of blaming Sebastian Vettel: “Blaming him would be too brutal at this point. The problems are more acute than the quadruple champion’s identity crisis, or the young Leclerc’s inexperience,” said Sparisci.
The editorial at Corriere dello Sport read: “For an ever worsening Ferrari, there are just no excuses anymore.”
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto admitted after Barcelona that the problem could be with the basic “concept” of the 2019 car. But former F1 driver Marc Surer says it is “too late” for Maranello to change the concept now and still keep its world championship hopes alive: “It’s not just a new front wing,” he told Kolner Express newspaper. “They’d have to turn the whole car upside down.” – he explained at the end of the 2019 Spanish Grand Prix, which took place last weekend.
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