Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill has urged Ferrari to have a "long, hard look at themselves" to end its current "malaise". The Scuderia finished fourth and fifth at the Canadian Grand Prix after displaying strong race pace to surge through the top 10. But its prospects at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve were hit by a poor qualifying that saw Carlos Sainz demoted three places on the grid for impeding rivals, whilst Charles Leclerc had yet another disagreement over strategy as rain fell in Montreal. The Monégasque made a plea for a switch to slicks to set a competitive time but had his call denied by the pit wall and was able to qualify only 11th on Intermediates. "They [Ferrari] need to have a good, long, hard look at themselves, or someone does," Hill told The Express . "It just seems this is the malaise that they perennially suffer from. It’s like, you’re not sure who’s really in charge there. "It’s such a potent force in the sport, it needs the firm hand of someone like a Ross Brawn or a Jean Todt to grab it and get everyone to march with them."
Alonso the key?
It was not the first instance of strategy chaos experienced by Ferrari and Leclerc since he joined the team in 2019, with questionable decision-making a constant of late. Assessing where he could go if patience is lost with the Scuderia, Hill questioned: "What options are there? There aren’t any. “I suppose he could look at Aston Martin but I think Fernando’s got a two-year contract with them anyway. I think he’d probably step aside if they paid him enough money, but I don’t think he wants to give up a competitive drive."
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