Fernando Alonso is one of the biggest victims of Ferrari’s blunders over the years. He technically missed two championships in 2010 and 2012 while having poor execution on the track.
He failed to have the taste of success in five years with them even once. Even after leaving Ferrari eight years ago, he still witnessed an identical error, but gladly he wasn’t at the receiving end.
In the Belgian GP 2022, Charles Leclerc surprisingly pitted for the fresh soft tyres at the penultimate lap of the race. Usually a great strategy but not when the drivers get stuck behind and lose position.
Leclerc, in the pitstop, lost position to Alonso and struggled to return to his original place. Though, in the end, he managed to take the Spaniard over. But soon, grief struck him when the Monegasque was penalised with five seconds for speeding in the pitlane. Thus, bringing Alonso above.
Fernando Alonso roasts Ferrari
So when Ferrari made such a blunder even almost after a decade, Alonso couldn’t resist but make fun of his former employers. He roasts his previous team when asked whether he was surprised to see Leclerc near him.
“Yeah I was surprised,” said the Spaniard with a loud grin on Leclerc’s pitstop at the end. “But Ferrari always does some strange strategy. So that was one of those.”
Even Ferrari fans couldn’t do anything but laugh at these repeated mistakes. Considering it’s happening for over many years, they can tolerate such instances.
Even in 2022, they lost the races because of such errors that allowed Max Verstappen to overcome a 50-points deficit against Leclerc and eventually win the championship.
The predicament of Maranello
Ferrari is known for making blunders when leading a title challenge. Ever since Michael Schumacher left the Italian team, they had little success, except in 2007 when Kimi Raikkonen brought the title and in 2008 when they won the constructors’ championship.
Since then, they haven’t touched silverware. They have formed great rivalries with the teams that have eventually won championships in the last decade. But never them. Red Bull from 2010-2013 and again in 2022, and Mercedes from 2014-2019.
In 2020 and 2021, they weren’t even close to contesting for the title. It all comes down to good strategies and consistent performances, which Ferrari has lacked over the last decade.
