Ferrari’s ‘lackadaisical’ mindset proving costly in F1 title battle

Former world champion Damon Hill believes Red Bull are simply sharper when it comes to decision-making

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ferrari could be suffering from a ‘lackadaisical’ mindset in the Formula 1 title race, according to Damon Hill.

The Scuderia are genuine title contenders for the first time in years, but while proving their pace can outgun the Red Bull, reliability and strategy have undermined them at pivotal moments in races.

Many accused Ferrari of an error in judgement when Carlos Sainz was asked to pit while battling Sergio Perez for the final podium spot in the French Grand Prix, eventually seeing the Spaniard settle for P5. While Charles Leclerc lost more ground on Max Verstappen after crashing out at Circuit Paul Ricard.

“I think they (Ferrari) had been a little bit out of it last year,” Hill told Sky Sports News. “They weren’t terribly competitive and they kind of maybe got a bit lackadaisical in their race team mindset.

• F1 LIVE: FIA address ‘rumours’ of Mercedes favouritism

“Obviously all these teams are incredibly professional, but it just seems to me Red Bull seem to be able to think quickly and take opportunities. They have been used to fighting from the back and now they don’t have so much of that as a problem, but they still are a race team that are effective in the field, let’s say.

“I think they definitely need to take a look at themselves and say ‘well, what are we doing wrong? We’ve got the car to do it, we’ve got the drivers to do it. But we need to give them back-up and we need to clarify our team instructions’.

“When it comes to drivers talking to the pit wall and also to the strategy [team], it’s how they communicate with the drivers as to what the order of command is because you can’t have different people making different decisions and then changing their mind in the last minute, which is no good.”