"Red Bull are looking to turn this into a 1-2" - Ferrari needs to 'find a way to respond' in 2022 F1 championship over summer break, says former driver

Former world champion Mika Hakkinen feels Ferrari need to find a way to respond to Red Bull's dominant form in the 2022 F1 championship. The former driver warned the Italian outfit that Sergio Perez might soon catch up and surpass Charles Leclerc in the drivers' standings by the end of the year.

Another set of strategic calls by the Italian team saw Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz miss out on a potential 1-2 in Hungary. The Monegasque driver lost the lead in the race after his team pitted him for hard tires, allowing his rivals to speed past with ease later on.

Sainz was running well before a slow pitstop hindered his progress, dropping him to P4 at the end of the race. To add insult to injury, Max Verstappen managed to win the race despite having started P10 on the grid. This gave him an 80-point lead over Leclerc in the drivers' standings heading into the summer break.

Sergio Perez has now nearly caught up to the Ferrari driver in the championship, trailing Leclerc by only five points. Hakkinen warned the Prancing Horse that Red Bull are likely to go for a 1-2 finish at the end of the year. He wrote in his column for Unibet:

"Checo Perez's good drive into fifth now puts him only five points behind Leclerc in the World Championship, so Red Bull are looking to turn this into a 1-2 result if Ferrari does not find a way to respond."

Ferrari's team principal is at risk of being fired over the summer break, claims former driver

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 Italians had a brilliant chance to play catchup in both championships at the Hungarian GP. Rivals Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished only P10 and P11 at the end of Saturday's qualifying session. However, after a series of dubious blunders, the Prancing Horse lost a considerable amount of points to the Austrian team.

Ralf Schumacher criticized Mattia Binotto, claiming the Italian might be in danger of being fired during the 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.’’

The team has given no clear indication of its plans for the summer break. However, there is no ambiguity regarding the fact that Ferrari need to streamline their strategy if they are to stand any chance against Red Bull moving forward.