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Former F1 driver and analyst Ralf Schumacher thinks Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is at risk of losing his job over the summer break. The Scuderia shot itself in the foot once again thanks to a series of strategic blunders in Hungary.
The Italian team had a brilliant chance to play catchup in both championships at the 2022 Hungarian GP, with rivals Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez having finished only P10 and P11 at the end of Saturday's qualifying session. Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, started the race in P2 and P3, respectively, in what was arguably the fastest car on the grid.
However, when the team pitted the Monegasque driver for hard compound tires, it effectively threw away its golden opportunity to challenge Red Bull. To make matters worse, Max Verstappen ended up winning the race despite having started P10 on the grid.
Ralf Schumacher criticized Mattia Binotto, claiming the Italian might be in danger of being fired from the team during the ongoing summer break. Schumacher told the German version of Sky F1:
“I already see him in danger during the summer break. There are too many little things that went wrong and too many technical problems. If you get a gift like this, being able to drive for the World Cup again and endangering it and throwing it away, that’s it already bitter.’’
Ferrari's Mattia Binotto admits tire strategy mistake, but defends team strategy in Hungary
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto attributed his team's poor performance at the 2022 Hungarian GP to the F1-75's lack of performance in cooler temperatures instead of a strategic blunder. The team seemingly made a brutal strategic error, having pitted title contender Charles Leclerc for hard compound tires in the second half of the race despite seeing both the Alpines struggling on those tires earlier.
Binotto claimed that while the team might have gotten Charles Leclerc's tire choice wrong, it didn't get its team strategy wrong in Hungary. The Italian explained that the team expected the Monegasque driver to be fast on the hard compound tires at the end of the race. Instead, the Ferrari driver had to be pitted again due to his dismal race pace.
Mattia Binotto told the media:
“During the race and looking at what’s going on, we have as well looked at what was happening with the other hard tyres. We took all considerations, we discussed what would have been best and that’s the choice that we made. It certainly was not the right one today.’’
The Scuderia left its drivers and fans scratching their heads after 'throwing away' yet another golden opportunity to fight Red Bull and Max Verstappen in 2022. Fans can only hope that the team gets its act together by the end of the summer break.
