‘Depressing’ Ferrari claim made as barren title spell rolls on into F1 2024

Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham said the struggles of Ferrari to win consistently are “depressing”, given the talent of the driver line-up.

Charles Leclerc recently penned a contract extension that will keep him with the Scuderia for “several seasons to come”, while Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to win a race in their dominant 2023 season, taking to the top step in the Singapore Grand Prix.

Ferrari were pipped to second place in the Constructors’ Championship by Mercedes, but their stock has always been in titles rather than just victories – and the Constructors’ crown of 2008 was the last time a piece of silverware from a full season returned to Maranello.

Sky F1 presenter: Ferrari have ‘two great drivers there’

Giving her opinion on what she hopes to see from Ferrari in 2024, Sky presenter Pinkham explained that the quality of the driver duo should be backed up by the team behind them.

She believes the win in Singapore for Sainz was a “chink of light” for the team from the season, but believes a stronger Ferrari makes for a better spectacle for the sport as a whole.

“I think it’s depressing, because you’ve got two great drivers there,” Pinkham said in response to a fan question about Ferrari while on stage at Autosport International in Birmingham.

“I’d love to see Charles win a championship. I’d love to see him win more races, he’s put in that single-lap performance – I don’t think that’s in doubt.

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“Is it their ability to hook up a single lap but then actually make it work over race distance through strategy? It seems to be their downfall and I don’t know the answer to that, and I don’t think they obviously do, either.

“I remember feeling quite despondent when I was interviewing Carlos and saying, you know, ‘Do you have a better understanding of this car?’ And they just didn’t know why it worked in some places and not others.

“Great to see him win in Singapore. I think that was a bit of a chink of light, it was a lifeline for them, and it’s interesting to see that they can hook it up at a circuit that’s so challenging, and potentially fraught with danger.

“But if they could be there to capitalise when it doesn’t necessarily all go Red Bull’s away then they’ll do well, but I think a good strong Ferrari is great for the sport, so I’d love to see them back in the front.”

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