Ferrari rejects Schumacher "appalling mediocrity" criticism
Ferrari rejects Schumacher "appalling mediocrity" criticism
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have leapt to the defence of Ferrari after Ralf Schumacher labelled the team as suffering from "appalling mediocrity".
Ferrari is in the process of rebuilding after a torrid 2020 campaign that saw the manufacturer suffer its worst season since 1980, finishing sixth in the constructors' championship.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Leclerc drove Ferrari to a best-of-the-rest fourth-place finish behind the two Mercedes drivers and Max Verstappen with Schumacher suggesting the praise the team received only served to highlight its fall from grace.
Responding to the comments of the former driver turned Sky Germany pundit, Leclerc said: "I do not agree with the words he has used.
"We are working very very hard. Last year has been a very difficult season for us and from then on we have been working very, very well.
"I can see it, I can feel the progress in the car and I am happy with the progress we are making. I am not happy yet with where we are fighting for and I am sure that nobody in the team is happy where we are fighting for.
"We don't want to be fighting for fourth, fifth or sixth, we want to be fighting for the first positions but after the step back we did from 2019 to 2020, we are doing a good job at recovering that.
"F1 is a very difficult sport, everyone is pushing their limits every year so we are trying to catch up.
"It is not easy but as I said, I am happy with the way we are working at the moment and I believe in the project and I am sure we will soon be back fighting for the lead positions we want which is to fight for wins."
Sainz, who raced at rivals McLaren last season, also disagreed with Schumacher's comments and praised the core of staff at Maranello for the hard work being put into turning around the Scuderia's fortunes.
He added: "As a team, we can not pretend to go from one year to another, going from 1.5secs behind to winning the world championship.
"We are the ones who are not happy, we are the ones who are self-critical and want more.
"We know it is going to take time and we are going to work as hard as possible to bring Ferrari back to where it belongs at least at the top.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling this team mediocre because I think this team is full of super-talented people, people that have demonstrated they can create race-winning cars in 2019, 2018 and 2017 and a team that has shown really good capacity of recovery in a matter of one year.
"We have recovered nearly more than half of the gap to Mercedes and the top teams so I see positive trends and we are on the right path."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Alonso RIDICULES major FIA decision
- 12 minutes ago
F1 News Today: F1 set for TAKEOVER worth 'billions' as Ricciardo 'ultimatum' rumours addressed by Marko
- 1 hour ago
Top manufacturer takes HUGE step towards F1 return
- 3 hours ago
McLaren star sets staggering new F1 RECORD
- Today 12:57
Hamilton relationship 'ENDS' as F1 legend looks for celebrity date
- Today 11:57
F1 team boss lends support to Alonso amid HUGE backlash
- Today 10:57
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
Related news
Brundle details NEW F1 title contender with 'world championship' claim
Sainz fires UNEMPLOYMENT reminder to rival teams after Australia win
F1 star wins Australian Grand Prix just two weeks after MAJOR SURGERY
Ferrari star in STRANGE Australian Grand Prix FIA investigation
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860