Former Formula 1 Grand Prix winner Jean Alesi, has urged Ferrari supporters to back the team despite a run of poor results that has seen the team fall significantly behind Red Bull and Max Verstappen in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships.
Despite having arguably the quickest car on the grid, Ferrari has failed to capitalize on their potential after making a series of errors over the first half of the season. Reliability, driving mistakes, and poor race strategies have all combined to leave the Italian team trailing Red Bull by 97 points. Meanwhile, star driver Charles Leclerc, who is second in the championship, has fallen 80 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship with his title hopes now hanging by a thread.
Despite Ferrari’s profligacy, former driver Jean Alesi has urged the team’s supporters to back the squad, stating that it is better for the team in the long run.
“Going against Ferrari is not good for any fan, it doesn’t do the team any good,” Alesi wrote in a column for Corriere della Sera.
“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 empathizes with Ferrari supporters
The Frenchman also stated that he understands where the supporter’s frustration stems from but has also urged the fans to back the team and channel their emotions in a more positive light.
“I say this understanding every outburst because passion is made up of strong feelings,” Alesi continued.
“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.”
It will be interesting to see how Ferrari gets on during the second half of the season. While the championship might be out of reach at this stage, the team will still need to sharpen its focus if they are to keep an ever-improving Mercedes at bay.
