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Ferrari has found itself caught up in a plethora of problems this season. Amongst them, reliability is one glaring issue that has constantly plagued the team. Consequently, the Scuderia's lead driver Charles Leclerc suffered 2 DNFs in the last three races and dropped to third in the championship.
Former BMW Williams and Toyota F1 driver Ralf Schumacher felt that the Italian team was in a bad position this season and would need to dig itself out of this hole soon. He said:
“Ferrari suffered a debacle with the retirement of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. One cause could be a poor supply of materials. But it could also be that the engines are overloaded and have a shorter life span than expected. Ferrari are in a bad way, it has to be said. The situation is dramatic and Mattia Binotto has a difficult job. After the strong start, it was first the declining consistency of the drivers, then technical things. And this at a time when, in terms of potential, you could win the World Championship. They have to find a solution quickly, but I don’t think the Scuderia can get their problems under control before the Canadian GP.”
Ralf Schumacher believes title momentum has swung from Ferrari to Red Bull but could change soon
Speaking about the title battle between Red Bull and Ferrari, Ralf Schumacher claimed that the former has taken the momentum away from the latter and is at the forefront right now.
Lest we forget, the Austrian team is on a 5-race win streak. Since Max Verstappen's DNF in Australia, the team has won all subsequent races, with the Dutchman winning 4 of them and Sergio Perez winning one.
Schumacher, however, did caution that it is still early days in the championship and further twists and turns are possible. He said:
“I think we will see a lot more this season. Red Bull had bad luck at the beginning of the season, nobody is immune to a retirement. The cars are more fragile because the stresses are so high.”
After the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Red Bull is on top of the constructors' standings with a dominant 80-point lead. Meanwhile, its driver Max Verstappen enjoys a 34-point lead over Charles Leclerc. The reigning world champion has won 5 races this season as compared to just 2 for Leclerc, while Leclerc has 6 positions this season compared to just one for Verstappen.
