Ferrari's 5 biggest blunders in F1

F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands
F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Over the years, Ferrari has reached new heights in sabotaging its F1 glory time and again. Though the technical side of the team is often held responsible for things, the unit as a whole needs improvement to deliver a world title for Scuderia.

Charles Leclerc could've been a world champion by now if not for the countless mistakes the Maranello camp made. Ferrari need a complete revamp in terms of strategy, development and leadership if the Tifosi are to ever smile again.

Here's a look at some of the lowest moments in the history of the Scuderia in the 21st century


#5 - 2014's car was a mess for Ferrari

The Italians roped in two-time world champion Fernando Alonso for the 2014 season, only to give him a car that understeers and oversteers at the same time. They could only get two podiums in the entire season, courtesy of Alonso's brilliance.

The Italian outfit's F14T engine was nothing short of a shocker with no valuable race pace. 2014 was a very low year for the Scuderia, with car design and pace at the center of everything. Furthermore, the team was unstable. Internal politics was at a high and the optimistic Tifosi's hopes were shunted soon, even with two world champions at the helm.


#4 - Charles Leclerc's sad F1 2022 Monaco GP

Charles Leclerc, an extremely talented driver, is one man we all feel for. He rose through the ranks of the Ferrari drivers academy to win everything he possibly could. The prodigal talent even had a great start to the year, proving himself championship worthy.

However, Ferrari's unit messed up badly when they prematurely called in Leclerc for a pitstop for intermediates. The Monegasque was told to stay out by a confused Ferrari crew, leaving him furious as it cost him a sure podium if not a race win in Monte Carlo.


#3 - Ferrari's erroneous tire call for Vettel at Suzuka 2018

As of late, Ferrari is known for making team calls that not many understand. Tires seem to be their specialty.

The 2018 season was somewhat of a close call between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Though Hamilton managed to take a big lead by winning back-to-back races, Scuderia added more to his bag.

In qualifying, Ferrari were the only team that opted for wet tires on a dry line during Q3. The result? Vettel was almost 90 seconds behind every other car. Lewis Hamilton won pole on the right call of slicks.


#2 - Hard tires vs Charles Leclerc during 2022 Hungarian GP

The Scuderia had data from other teams who put on hard tires for their drivers. The team was fastest on the medium tires, but to everyone's surprise, decided to put hard tires on Leclerc's car. The Monegasque was no longer the fastest man and lost another lead due to a bad strategy decision.

Surprisingly, on Lap 55, they again pitted him for softs, resulting in a further loss of track positions. The driver finished outside the podium places again as Max Verstappen extended his lead in the championship with another win.


#1 - Carlos Sainz's unusual pit stop during the 2022 Dutch GP

If there's one thing the Maranello camp has been consistent at, it would be making mistakes. The team initially couldn't avoid mistakes with Leclerc, but have also started to bother Carlos Sainz. He was called in for an early pitstop while his left rear tire was not even ready.

Tragedy piled on as a wheel gun was left unchecked for Sergio Perez to run over. Sainz's race was quickly ruined. But the trouble was still not over. When he pitted again, an unsafe release in front of Fernando Alonso awarded him a five-second penalty.

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