Austrian GP – Raikkonen saves a modest Ferrari, Hamilton is a fury like Alì

Sorry to say, but Ferrari in Austria has exhausted its last joker, the one towards the fans. The Scuderia must now set up its relationship with its enamored public in a radically different way, imbuing it with healthy intellectual honesty and stopping flaunting a comeback that we are unlikely to see this season. There are no technical revolutions, no magic tokens, that will allow the discreet SF16-H to become that title machine that it evidently is not and cannot be.

Ferrari also came out burned and very nervous from the Zeltweg technical pool, giving the idea of ​​being confused, perpetually looking for an expedient, a gamble, useful to shuffle the cards on the table. The truth is that the Red team experiences its world championship crushed by expectations that are impossible to maintain, and it even lacks the courage to do simple things. The “strategists” should probably pay more attention to the track than to the computers. At the time of the explosion (however anomalous and dangerous) the super soft of the innocent Vettel showed clear signs of wear with the Mercedes meanwhile catching up on the track. Stubborn on its convictions, Ferrari managed to transform the advantage of starting with the harder tires into a disadvantage, when it is now clear that with these tires you have to get in early, make an "undercut", and fit the most suitable compounds to get to the point. bottom.

In the last three races the Red team made mistakes in the pit calls, saved in Baku only by the foresight (and mutiny) of Sebastian. Technicians who are slaves to numbers and simulations should adopt the principle of "Occam's razor": all solutions being equal, the simplest is the one to be preferred.

The Cavallino's honor was kept high in Austria by the derelict Kimi Raikkonen, third at the finish line. In every sense, Kimi put a color on the wrong Ferrari strategy, which had put him back on track behind both Red Bulls. With attitude and determination the Finn overtook Daniel Ricciardo, and then inherited the podium thanks to contact between the two Mercedes drivers. Too much criticism of the boy for not being able to come second was unfair and exploitative. First of all, the fault lies with the wall incapable of keeping him in the game of stopping in front of the "drinks". Secondly, Raikkonen furiously overtook Verstappen, and was only stopped by the yellow flag on the final lap. But criticizing Kimi is a trend, perhaps an outburst, which makes one unclear: it is hard for detractors to digest the fact that Iceman has collected four podiums - two second and two third places - and has the same points in the championship as the "captain" Vettel. They'll have to deal with it, meanwhile Raikkonen takes it and takes it home.

Since Friday and as in all the races of this very boring season, the victory of a Mercedes was not in doubt. Yet the epilogue of the Austrian GP was in some ways shocking and could create a deep rift in the Anglo-German team. Rosberg had recovered well from sixth position, but he could do nothing against the blind fury of a Hamilton in a state of grace. Nico is destined to lose the world championship if he thinks he can beat Hamilton-Alì in the field in which the Caribbean exalts himself most: that of body to body, close duels, wheel-to-wheel wickedness, "boxing" In short.

It is no coincidence that after the race Lewis was elated by the victory, while Rosberg was licking his wounds. Nico, if he wants to keep the lead in the world championship, must race with cunning and clarity, forgetting that he can beat Hamilton by punching. In the meantime, the world championship-dominating Mercedes is having a terrible image, giving the idea once again of being a "soft" team, incapable of managing the excesses of its drivers and their anarchic rivalry.

Antonino Rendina

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