Formula 1: Ferrari have had this slump coming

After the catastrophic yet entertaining weekend for Ferrari in the Styrian Grand Prix, let’s look into why the famous Formula 1 team in red have had this slump coming for some time and how it is their own fault.

Ah, Ferrari. Somehow, even after all of these years, they never cease to amaze. Whether it be on track or off it, you know they are always up to something, sometimes good and sometimes not very good — at all.

It seems that the famous scarlet team are open to having a “down” year every decade. And this goes way back into their history in Formula 1.

Let’s start in the 1970s, shall we? This was a decade in which they secured four constructor titles in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979, but their down year was in 1973, when they finished in a lowly sixth place in the constructor standings. This trend continued into the famous 1980s.

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They won two constructor titles in 1982 and 1983, but 1980 saw them finish in an embarrassing 10th place in the constructor standings.

But don’t worry, as they did not disappoint in the 1990s. One title in 1999 saw them maintain their winning streak in every decade since the 1970s, but multiple fourth place finishes fed the Maranello party with disappointment. Fourth place finishes were a long way from the leaders at the time.

Of course, being a Ferrari fan was fun in the 2000s when they won seven constructor titles, and their “low” year in this decade was a fourth place finish in 2009. So from that standpoint, there is not much to complain about.

Then in the 2010s, they recorded a massive zero constructor titles and multiple third and fourth place finishes. For some, fourth place seems like a good finish, but not for Ferrari. Again, every fourth place finish was always a long way off from where they were expected to be.

This brings us to the 2020 season. In this current turbo hybrid era, everyone thought that the unfortunate year of 2014 would not happen again. But that 2014 feeling has been reoccurring over the last few weeks now that the season has finally gotten underway.

It is a feeling that feels misplaced in the paddock. Ferrari seem lost, and this is not the first time. So far, both race weekends of the 2020 season have seen not only one of the works Ferrari cars get knocked out in the second round of qualifying, but every Ferrari-powered car has been clocked as the slowest in the speed traps.

The qualifying session for the Styrian Grand Prix, although it was wet, saw the five slowest cars in the speed traps all powered by Ferrari engines. There are just six Ferrari-powered cars on the grid. Sadly, this is their own doing. Ferrari are the architects of their own failure.

This slump has been approaching at a high rate of knots since the guard changed hands. Some can argue that Maurizio Arrivabene was more of a Marlboro man then a Ferrari man, and he wasn’t well liked. Okay, and he reminded some of a classic mafia boss, but Ferrari didn’t have to worry about those things because during the years under his leadership, sans 2016, Ferrari had a car that had the potential to win.

From taking over after the dogged 2014 season and being a key factor in the team being able to produce cars in 2017 and 2018 that could have won it all is no easy feat. It is a feat that Mattia Binotto has not managed to achieve since taking over in 2019, and it shows. There is only one word to describe the 2020 Ferrari SF1000: dog.

Or maybe two words, if you’re Alain Prost. Let’s see who understands that reference.

It is almost like the inevitable yet extremely entertaining clash between Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc at turn three of the 10-turn, 2.683-mile (4.318-kilometer) Red Bull Ring road course in Spielberg, Styria, Austria on the opening lap of the Styrian Grand Prix is the perfect way to sum the whole team up at the moment.

Nothing could put it any better. Why are the Ferrari cars battling for 12th or 13th place on lap one anyway? Not only that, but the same mistakes and individual errors have been reappearing in Ferrari’s work for years now — mistakes that their rivals, being Mercedes, make once and learn from, which is why they have been so dominant in this era, winning six straight constructor and driver championships.

But everyone already knew that. Yes, Leclerc did pull off a very impressive podium finish in the season opener at the same track two Sundays ago, but be realistic. Along with a strong drive by Leclerc, things fell the right way that day. Coincidence seems to be the right word for that.

Did anyone really believe them after last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix that the Ferrari drivers were never going to clash again? How long did that last? Two races and two corners is the answer.

Of course, that fault is more on the drivers than it is on the team. However, without the team’s poor development in recent months, this incident could have been avoided if the red cars were where they should be: up front.

A big reason why this year’s Ferrari-branded tractor is so bad is because of the drag it produces down the straights. In the corners it is up there, without a doubt. Ironically, the straights are where they excelled in recent years, but now they are where the speed is being lost, and at a fast rate.

Remember last year when Ferrari won three races on the bounce and Leclerc secured four consecutive pole positions? if only they could revert back to that time.

Oh wait, they can’t. Why, you ask? Their engine was ruled illegal. Strip the engine down to make it fit the rules and bang, back down the speed traps they go. And we’re not having the whole “it was never proven” malarkey. Of course it wasn’t. Ferrari just felt like losing their speed and paying a hefty fine for the fun of it. Move on.

In all seriousness, Formula 1 does need to have Ferrari fighting for wins. It always has. And the reverse card can be played here — Ferrari need to be fighting for Formula 1 wins. It works both ways. But it goes to show that you can be the gigantic mountain that is Ferrari or just a bottom half of the table team in Formula 1. If the same mistakes are made, you’re going to get punished no matter what. And sadly for the Maranello outfit, the disappointing run they are in is all of their own doing.