Vettel 19th and Leclerc 11th in first practice at Italian GPMattia Binotto claims to have support of
Ferrari managementFerrari, still licking their wounds from a bruising Belgian
Grand Prix, must go another round in
Italy this weekend. Monza was the scene of a roaring, glorious, celebratory affair last year but this time promises only to heap embarrassment on the beleaguered team as their principal, Mattia Binotto, faces the excoriating pressure that falls to the man at the helm of the scarlet ship foundering at its home port. The tifosi supporters of Ferrari will be absent this year, the Scuderia perhaps lucky to be spared the ignominy of their disdain echoing around the temple of speed.
The SF1000, a car named to celebrate Ferrari’s longevity in the sport, will not be one remembered fondly in the pantheon of scarlet machines. Both Charles Leclerc, who enjoyed a magnificent win here in 2019, and
Sebastian Vettel finished outside the points in
Belgium, with their car lacking power and suffering from being unable to work its tyres at Spa. Found wanting at the power-dependent track, unsurprisingly Monza looks similarly painful.