What is the political power of Ferrari in F1? The question is more than legitimate considering how the Scuderia was dealt with in the Monaco GP in the controversial stages of a race that sparked a flood of controversy. We complained about Michael Masi as race director, but Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas who replaced him this year are much worse, not very authoritative and always oriented on decisions to protect their choices.
John Elkann with his family on the Monaco GP grid
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Having said this, the silence of Ferrari is astonishing: even if John Elkann and Piero Ferrari were present in the pits of the Principality, the leaders of the Cavallino have chosen silence once more, even in the face of certain prevarications that only Mattia Binotto tried to defend very weakly. .
Formula 1 showed and demonstrated in the TV images how Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen both stepped on the yellow line at the exit of the pits. The championship promoter highlighted the regulatory anomaly with the numerous replays aired, but the FIA remained deaf to the report. But in other situations we would have seen the thunderous reactions of Toto Wolff or Christian Horner, while from Ferrari there were only the very calm words of the team principal, who faces a tragedy like a victory with the same tone of voice.
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari Team Principal
Photo by: Ferrari
“When you are first and finish fourth there is something that did not work – explained Mattia – and there are our responsibilities, but I feel that there was a bit of injustice because the tires were starting 5 minutes from the start of the race. they need to be fitted and the Red Bull was without tires. How come? And it is not clear why the FIA decided to postpone the start three minutes from the start of the race. But the regulation says that in 5 minutes the tires must be fitted. Point”.
True. Sacrosanct. But no one has raised their voice, no one has raised the problem in that long wait for the start in the safety car. Because?
Ferrari’s attitude was too soft also with regard to the complaint about the yellow lines touched by Verstappen and Perez …
“More than protesting Red Bull that I don’t care, because I don’t want to enter this type of competition with them, we have made a complaint to demand clarity on their decisions from the FIA.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
She is a Ferrari far too shy in defending her rights, but the responsibilities cannot and must not all rest on Binotto’s shoulders. In Monte Carlo there were also the leaders of the Cavallino who preferred to turn away. What is the signal that has been given by this attitude? Certainly not by force. There could have been the disappointment for a double that evaporated at the best due to the inadequacy of the choices of the wall (and the blame, very honestly, if Mattia took it on his shoulders) but it is not by leaving the team principal alone that you can win the other battles that must lead Ferrari to fight for the world championship until the end.
The feeling is that the Scuderia is still a “hostage” of that secret pact signed with the FIA to close that black page of the engine, the irregularity of which has never been fully demonstrated.
Maranello has paid a very high fine (which has remained secret) and two years of “purgatory” in F1: now is the time to look ahead and not be put your feet on your head because otherwise Red Bull … will give you wings.
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