«A chaos, the race direction has created problems for itself»- Corriere.it

Three red flags in a single GP had never been seen before, and there was a reason: interrupting the race is the most extreme tool available to the race director. In Australia, at the home of Michael Masi (the “referee” kicked out after Abu Dhabi 2021, and present in the Melbourne paddock these days), his successor, Niels Wittich, has abused it beyond common sense. Three world champions to save face in a sport that is taking a risky turn towards showbusiness: Verstappen, Hamilton and Alonso. And a Ferrari wiped out, by the errors of its drivers this time more than by the shortcomings of the car, which are still serious.

The faces change, the championships, but the errors in Race Control continue. Last year we witnessed a Monza GP closed behind the safety car, a world champion — Verstappen — rewarded without his knowledge in Suzuka due to an unknown regulatory technicality. This time in Melbourne Max is still on the top step wondering, like most of his colleagues, the reason for so much chaos, the reason for another arrival behind the car with the sirens, which passes two bends from the flag chess.

As if the trick were enough to make the last definitive “farce departure” credible. «Too much confusion, I don’t think the second red flag was needed (the one caused by Magnussen, the Dane from Haas took the wall at turn 2 and split the circle spreading debris and a tire ed), they could have handled it with safety or with virtual. The problems created themselves.” And if the world champion says so, with his second success of the season and on his way to his third title, it means that something really got stuck. Instead of worrying about banning earrings, the mechanics’ celebrations at the wall, the FIA ​​should devote itself to more serious issues and choose more competent people. «By now it seems that the red flag is just a pretext to create a show», so thinks Lando Norris. The Englishman from McLaren talks about the useless mini-GP of two laps, from a standing start: a Far West that brought 12 cars (the two Alpines killed themselves) out of 20 to the finish line causing the third stop and then the sad final walkway. Leclerc watched it from the garage, his Sunday lasted a handful of seconds. Two retirements in three races: «Everything is going wrong».

His mistake, more serious than that of Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard threw a good comeback at the end in an attempt to attack Alonso, he had the best Ferrari of the season – it didn’t take much compared to Bahrain and Jeddah -, he wanted the podium. He is furious about the 5” penalty that sent him to twelfth place (ie last): «They robbed us. It’s the most unfair punishment I’ve seen in F1.” A sanction judged “too severe” even by Fernando himself. «Double weights – adds Fred Vasseur -, in Gedda we changed the rules for Alonso’s pit stop twice and here instead they took 5 seconds without even listening to the pilot. We are all frustrated.” Blessed pause, until April 28 the engines will remain off then we go between the walls of Baku, and there is also the Sprint Race. A reset is urgently needed, for F1 and for Ferrari.