Oh dear, Ferrari. The Scuderia has once again caused a stir with a faux pas in Formula 1. This time the tires were somehow missing during the pit stop in the Dutch Grand Prix.
The North Sea rain that set in at the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort shook the field right from the start. Shortly after the start, many drivers turned into the pits to get new rubber and to react to the rain.
Verstappen wingman Sergio Perez was one of the first to pit and switched to intermediates, followed by Charles Leclerc.
The problem for the Monegasque: The Ferrari crew was ready – but there were no tires to be seen far and wide. So the pilot lost valuable seconds.
HERE is the live ticker for the Netherlands GP
Possibly the Monegasque was responsible for a larger proportion of the breakdown, since he probably gave the radio message for the pit stop at extremely short notice and then turned off straight away. Apparently he took his own team by surprise.
Either way, the latest Ferrari faux pas joins a long series of breakdowns by the traditional team.
Formula 1: Leclerc follows in Holland
The race in Zandvoort was not without problems either. In lap 9, the team radioed Leclerc: “We have damage on the front wing.” His answer: “Please don’t let me drive slower.” He was reluctant to let his garage neighbor Sainz pass behind him.
The Ferrari driver was later overtaken by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and suddenly came under pressure from Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) and the group behind him.
Shortly thereafter, the Scuderia pulled the emergency brake. “The situation is getting worse. We’re taking the car out of the race,” radioed the team, who finished the race for Leclerc in 15th position due to underbody problems.
It looks as if the trend reversal at Ferrari will not work even after the summer break. The first half of the season was a disaster again. The 25-year-old is currently in 5th place with 99 points, while team-mate Carlos Sainz is in 7th place with 92 points.
Before the season, Frederic Vasseur had taken over the helm at the Reds from the hapless Mattia Binotto. Alone: The Frenchman hasn’t had much better luck so far.