‘Ferrari insecure about strategy decisions after past failures’
Carlos Sainz was left raging at his team over the radio when he was called into the pits in a failed attempt to overcut Esteban Ocon’s Alpine amid their battle for the final spot on the podium.
Ferrari would go on to lose out further when mid-race rain caused confusion and chaos as Mercedes managed to get Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ahead of both Ferraris by pitting for wet tyres a lap earlier.
Charles Leclerc ended up sixth, while Sainz dropped to eighth behind the other Alpine of Pierre Gasly after losing time when Ferrari double-stacked their cars.
“We saw Ferrari come out into the pits straight away with a new front wing,” former W Series racer Schiff said.
“We heard them on the radio saying it was damaged and he needs to box. Sainz is a driver who thinks ahead - he has a strategy in mind. Plan A, B, C - Ferrari go to Plan E!”
Schiff continued: “We have seen communication breakdowns in that team. Sometimes they play defensively too much.
“We have seen it go wrong before, now they are insecure in making decisions so they take the easiest route. But that isn’t always the best route.”
2009 world champion Jenson Button agreed that a lack of communication ultimately proved to be Ferrari’s downfall.
“The problem was communication,” Button said. “It’s the same for Aston Martin.
"If there was more communication around the lap between driver and engineer, the right call would have been made.
"I love that they had the idea that there might be a Safety Car. They took a risk. But they did it with two cars! That was the issue.”
