Formula 1: 5 worst moments of Ferrari’s lost season
With nine races left in the 2022 Formula 1 season, Ferrari have squandered a once promising campaign and are now at risk of being overtaken by Mercedes.
Much like their engines, Ferrari’s 2022 Formula 1 season has gone up in smoke.
The team started off on a hot streak with back-to-back double podiums in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, followed by a victory for Charles Leclerc in Australia. After both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. missed out on the podium in Imola, the team returned to form at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix with another double podium finish.
Also. The one word that ticks off Charles Leclerc. light
Since then, the Scuderia have suffered a dramatic downfall that has become the central talking point of the Formula 1 season. A slew of strategic and mechanical errors has left the team clinging to a 30-point lead over a surging Mercedes team for second place in the constructor standings, while Red Bull are coasting towards their first championship since 2013.
Furthermore, Charles Leclerc, who once led the driver standings by 46 points, now sits 80 points behind Max Verstappen with just nine races left. He is just five points ahead of Sergio Perez and 20 points in front of George Russell.
So how did it all go so, so wrong for Ferrari this year? Here are the five worst moments of the season for the team thus far.
Ferrari’s worst moments of 2022: No. 5 – Misery in Monaco
Charles Leclerc has had a rough history at his home race. His best finish prior to 2022 had been an 18th place DNF in 2018 for Alfa Romeo. He failed to finish again in 2019 with Ferrari, and a car issue resulted in him not being able to race in 2021.
2022 appeared to be a turning of the tides for Leclerc. He was able to secure pole position during qualifying and held his position for a large portion of the race, before pitting and coming out third.
At lap 22, Ferrari made a significant strategic error by calling in both Sainz and Leclerc to pit. While Leclerc had already entered the pit lane, strategists frantically instructed him not to pit, but it was simply too late.
The result was hometown hero Leclerc waiting to be able to get new tires, behind his teammate.
After Leclerc rejoined the race, he was stuck behind both Red Bulls and Sainz at a track where it is notoriously difficult to overtake. He was unable to gain any positions and finished fourth, just missing out on the podium.
The silver lining was Sainz taking second place, but a frustrated Leclerc was left searching for answers as to why his hopes for a win in Monaco were dashed away by the team strategists.