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Is Ferrari the overhyped underperforming brand in Formula 1

The Scuderia is looking at another failed F1 title campaign Ferrari faces a 97-point deficit against Red Bull in the constructors championship. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari's lead driver, faces an 80-point deficit against Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship. All of this, despite Ferrari having arguably the best car on the grid this season. In all likelihood, with 9 races left the championship dream (if there was any) seems to be over. How did this happen? At first glance, if you look at the season in isolation, it can point to the car's reliability issues costing the team in some races. In others, Ferrari's lack of strategic acumen has compromised the lead driver's race multiple times as well. Tough one today. Not the race we wanted before the holidays but it’s now time to recharge the batteries and come back stronger in a month.Tough one today. Not the race we wanted before the holidays but it’s now time to recharge the batteries and come back stronger in a month. Having said that, the 2022 F1 season cannot be seen in isolation. It needs to be seen with a 360-degree view of what the Scuderia has been up to for multiple decades now and why Ferrari might be nothing but an overhyped underperforming brand in F1.

Ferrari s track record in the last 43 years

Ferrari's last championship triumph was in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen. Prior to that, the team had a successful stint with Michael Schumacher after he won 5 consecutive titles. There is, however, one crucial realization that Michael Schumacher's stint marked and continues to mark even today. Before Michael Schumacher's first ever title with the team in 2000, the last title for a Ferrari driver was in 1979. The period from the 1979 F1 season to the present day can be divided into three parts.

Phase 1 1979-1995 32 wins and 1 Title

This phase includes the 1979 title-winning campaign for the team and the period after that. During this time, the team had some great talents like Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Gilles Villeneuve driving the car. Despite a few wins here and there, there was no title triumph in store.

Phase 2 1996-2006 87 wins and 5 Titles

This was when Michael Schumacher joined the team. The team grew with him to ultimately become a championship-winning juggernaut by the 2000 F1 season and then went on a 5-year unbeaten run.

Phase 3 2007-Present 50 wins and 1 Title

This was the phase after Michael Schumacher retired from the sport in 2006. Ferrari won the title the very next year with Kimi Raikkonen in the 2007 F1 season. The team had talents like Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at their services. However, when it came down to results, the 2007 F1 title was the only moment of glory in the last 15 years. Looking at these three phases, one of the more astounding things is the comparative success in these three phases. In the last 43 years, Michael Schumacher's 10 year stint with Ferrari yielded more wins and championships than the 33 years when he was not part of the team. 5248 days ago.

Kimi Raikkonen wins the 2007 Brazilian gp, securing the 2007 world title by one point.

5248 days ago.Kimi Raikkonen wins the 2007 Brazilian gp, securing the 2007 world title by one point. In essence, the Italian squad has had one successful decade that has marked an almost 4 decades of failure. Ferrari might be a massive global brand and a coveted seat in F1 but if you look at the statistics, they are not indicative of 'success' by any means.

Rampant politics

One of the bigger issues with the team that has been present for far too long is the backroom politics. It is a feature of the Italian squad and more often than not it acts as a deterrent. Many people forget that even the current leadership of Mattia Binotto was achieved after a political tussle with Maurizio Arrivabene in 2018. The team has passion, the will to succeed, and there is loyalty as well towards the brand. At the same time though, there are backroom politics and there is almost always an ongoing fight for power. Mattia Binotto replaces Maurizio Arrivabene as Ferrari team principle Mattia Binotto replaces Maurizio Arrivabene as Ferrari team principle Because of this, the energy that is supposed to be spent fighting off the rivals is spent fighting the battles inside the team. Even former president Luca Di Montezemelo was notoriously always involved in power battles with Jean Todt at Ferrari. Ultimately, Di Montezemelo did succeed when he was able to hire to drive for the team in 2007. Compare that to teams like and Mercedes and what you see is a well-oiled machine with a sole focus on winning the championship. There are no distractions! There's only a push towards the win. The Italian squad, on the other hand, has always had one thing or the other to blame.

Lack of respect for drivers and an arrogance of being Ferrari

, a multi-time world champion, was fired by the team. contract was not renewed. replacement was signed behind his back without any prior intimation, and even the legendary Michael Schumacher was pushed out by signing . Alain Prost was fired by Ferrari in 1991 for calling his car a 'truck' (Ferrari building such a bad car can you imagine?) but after a sabbatical in 1992, he came back in 1993, won the championship and left again. Like a boss.Alain Prost was fired by Ferrari in 1991 for calling his car a 'truck' (Ferrari building such a bad car can you imagine?) but after a sabbatical in 1992, he came back in 1993, won the championship and left again. Like a boss. Ferrari itself is a huge brand, and in terms of value and prestige, nothing comes close to it. This does not mean that drivers of such value should not be treated with respect. Sadly though, that is what has happened too many times. There is almost a sense of arrogance in the way the team conducts itself even today. You wouldn't see Mattia Binotto admitting that the team employed a poor strategy in the race. It is often said that the first step towards improvement lies in admitting there's something wrong. You just don't see that with the Italian squad. : Charles Leclerc spoke on Mattia Binotto pointing a finger at him: “He was angry with me because he saw me down. He wanted to make sure I realised the excellent job I did even in that difficult situation.”

: Charles Leclerc spoke on Mattia Binotto pointing a finger at him: “He was angry with me because he saw me down. He wanted to make sure I realised the excellent job I did even in that difficult situation.” However, the icons of the grid, and Toto Wolff, are very quick to identify mistakes and strive for solutions. What Mattia Binotto did, on the other hand, was silence his lead driver publicly after destroying his race at the 2022 F1 British GP. The only time the team has succeeded in the last four decades was when it had a French leader (), with an English deputy (Ross Brawn) and a German driver (Michael Schumacher). This goes to show that the only time the team succeeded was when it did not have the typical "Ferrari" culture. In the end, you shouldn't ask the question of what happened this season? We aren't looking at a team that has been growing steadily and just needs the final few tweaks. Instead, what we are looking at is a team that has followed this pattern of under-achievement over the last four decades. Does it even deserve to be called a frontrunner? Or is it fair to say that is the overhyped underperforming brand of F1? We are leaning towards a 'Yes' on the latter one. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found