F1 News: Schumacher Calls Out "Silly Mistakes" By Ferrari Drivers - "Not The Biggest Contender"

Fingers have been pointed at both Ferrari Drivers For their silly mistakes.

Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes that Ferrari will not be fighting for the championship title this year, courtesy of the "silly mistakes" made by drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Consequently, he does not see the Red team as a major title contender this year.

The Maranello outfit secured its most recent Drivers' Championship title in 2007, courtesy of Kimi Raikkonen. Furthermore, their latest Constructors' Championship triumph occurred 15 years ago, in 2008.

But since the onset of the ground effect era in 2022, the team has been struggling to win races, given the dominance displayed by Red Bull's RB19 and its driver, Max Verstappen. 

Red Bull Press Image

Nonetheless, in the previous year, Ferrari experienced a stroke of luck compared to other teams when Sainz emerged victorious at the Singapore Grand Prix. He stood as the sole non-Red Bull driver to secure a race win in the 2023 season. On the other hand Leclerc, with 125 Grands Prix under his belt, has only managed to clinch victory in five of them.

Schumacher criticized both Ferrari drivers, suggesting that their "silly mistakes" might hinder the team from competing for a championship title. In contrast, teams like Mercedes and drivers like Lando Norris from McLaren are viewed as more credible threats to Red Bull, according to Schumacher.

Ferrari Not A Red Bull Threat

When asked by host Eddie Jordan on the Formula For Success podcast if he left out Ferrari on purpose when listing the potential threats to Red Bull, he answered:

 “For me, yes.

“It could be possible, but both drivers, you never know what they’ll do.

“I mean they’re leading a race, they spin off or they’re crashing, not really into each other, but making silly mistakes, which very often surprises me.

“I think Fred [Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal] is doing a good job as far, you can see now the group is growing together a bit better and less mistakes, very good pit stops, but in the moment, I would not see them as the biggest contender, but maybe I’m wrong.

“As it is, you will see at the first test or the first two races, then I think it’s easier to judge.”

Could Ferrari prove the former F1 driver wrong by turning out to be a strong title contender for this year? A more conclusive assessment may emerge after the conclusion of the first two or three races of the season.

However, Ferrari's assertions appear promising, given that team boss Fred Vasseur recently disclosed that the 2024 car will be 95% new. This stems from the development team adopting an entirely different approach to the development of the new car.

Ferrari Press Image