1996 Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill says Ferrari is currently “running on one leg” amid its difficult start to the 2023 season.
After winning four races during the 2022 campaign, Ferrari hoped to go a step further and fight more consistently at the front of the F1 field this year.
However, it hasn’t come close to challenging for race wins and has taken just a single podium result in the opening seven rounds.
Last time out at the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari endured another difficult weekend – Carlos Sainz dropped from second to fifth at the chequered flag while Charles Leclerc failed to score points after starting from the pit lane.
Its disappointing weekend came despite the introduction of upgrades.
“It’s a funny season in a way because we have seen quite a lot of disparity between apparent form on one circuit and the same form, or expectations, on another circuit,” Hill told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
“Everyone is scratching their heads apart from Red Bull, who are delivering on every track.
“We can’t say we can look at Barcelona and say that is now the formbook for the rest of the season because Canada is a different track, so is Silverstone. There will still be variety through the field.
“Then what can you say about Ferrari? When one is up, the other is down. It’s like they are running with one leg all the time. There always seems to be a problem with them.”
Hill’s colleague and Sky F1 presenter Rachel Brooks added: “My worry is Ferrari are going in the opposite direction
“They changed their car and we saw a very different Ferrari in Spain. They are now trying to chase that route as well.
“Where is the other challenge going to come from? There is a lot of work for a lot of teams and head-scratching going on.”
