Ferrari legend urges fan patience after failure outcry

Former F1 race winner for Ferrari Jean Alesi has urged patience within the Scuderia's fanbase after continued failings have driven the team out of the championship fight.

Charles Leclerc has been in fine form this season with seven pole positions to Max Verstappen's four, yet a mixture of reliability and strategic errors from Ferrari has seen the Monégasque slip to 80 points behind the Red Bull driver.

The latest failure came at the Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer break with Leclerc taken from the lead to sixth through a tactical blunder.

With pressure ever-present from Italian fans and media, Alesi has urged more support for Ferrari in a column for Corriere Della Serra.

“Going against Ferrari is not good for any fan, it doesn’t do the team any good," said Alesi.

“It’s a season that feels like a rollercoaster and that increases emotions and reactions. Thinking about a victory turns a defeat into a sporting drama commented on with a fervour that reminds me of football cheering.

“I also suffer thinking about Hungary: the weather changed the performance in the race and there were mistakes in the set-ups before than in the strategy.”

Alesi "understanding" of fanbase outcry

Ferrari's challenge this season has been it's first since Sebastian Vettel took the fight to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2018 whilst the last time a title was won was the constructors' triumph of 2008.

Despite explaining he understands the outcry because "passion is made up of strong feelings," Alesi insisted: “We could analyse the race to try and understand how and why.

"But there is no need for that now. What is needed, rather, is to be supportive, not destructive.

“Negativity brings no good, ever. Now I feel like loving this Ferrari because the men at Ferrari are the first to suffer for every defeat, for every mistake that leads to a defeat.”