‘They’re going to get pasted by the Italian press!’ Hill on Ferrari’s F1 form

Carlos Sainz finished fifth at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire with damage.

It didn’t tell the whole story though as according to Sainz, Ferrari had the sixth-fastest car at Zandvoort.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly overtook Sainz on track in the battle for the podium, and Mercedes and McLaren underperformed through poor strategy.

Speaking on Sky’s F1 coverage, Hill assessed the state of Ferrari ahead of their home race.

“I’d dread to think they’ve got Monza next week so they’re going to get pasted by the press in Italy,” he said. “Their performance this weekend has been all over the place. 

“The guys couldn’t even stop the car going into the first corner, drivers complaining of inconsistent handling, Charles crashing, nothing really much happening in the race - it’s not good before your home grand prix.”

Former Force India head of strategy Bernadette Collins believes Monza “can’t be a lot worse” for Ferrari given their lack of competitiveness at the Dutch Grand Prix.

“It’s not a bad result [Sainz], maybe capitalised on the mistakes of others,” she said. “There’s a lot of people discussing why they stopped too late in the race. 

“Leclerc sounded like he was having a really bad day, some damage to the floor. Even before that, they didn’t seem to understand. 

“Qualifying was not tremendous for them at times in the changeable conditions. 

“Let’s hope like they say Monza is going to be stronger as it can’t be a lot worse than this weekend really.”