Leo Turini: A cold shower in Spielberg on a hot day

      Leo Turini, a well-known Italian journalist, commented in his characteristic manner on the results of the racing weekend in Austria, where Ferrari fans had little reason to celebrate.

      Allow me to put it this way: in the midst of the heat in Spielberg, Ferrari received the cold shower it needed. However, the modest results of the Scuderia became something like a bucket of ice water for everyone who had cherished some hopes after Lewis Hamilton's success in Spain.

      There's no point in beating around the bush. The legend of the company from Maranello regularly evokes a powerful surge of enthusiasm after each victory – Ferrari fans don't need this explained to them. Moreover, this time significant measures for engine modernization were announced.

      In short, they didn't work. On Sunday, Ferrari was completely uncompetitive, but we saw that George Russell regained his winning mindset. Although he's not the most pleasant guy, this driver is characterized by a fighting spirit.

      Now it would be right to try to understand why the red cars are having problems with pace, especially since Hamilton was driving very well again, yet finished only fifth, and he had to come to terms with that result.

      But Charles Leclerc's situation was even worse. Not only does the car lack speed, but he is clearly going through some psychological crisis. On the track, he is falling behind Hamilton – probably, this has come as an unpleasant surprise to him and is affecting him greatly. After all, as the old saying goes, the main rival of any driver is his teammate.

      With all due respect, Lewis Hamilton is not Carlos Sainz! And when such a rivalry begins, no one can help you – you have to help yourself.

      Now let's talk about my godson, Kimi Antonelli. In two consecutive Grands Prix, he not only found himself in an unfavorable position but also made mistakes himself, and his lead over Russell in the personal standings has shrunk to 30 points. The losses are quite significant, considering the mathematical logic of this championship, which, unfortunately, is turning into a competition between two Mercedes drivers.

      But it should be added that in Austria, Kimi reacted like a champion to difficulties seemingly related to the brakes. If the race distance had been one lap longer, he would have attacked Max Verstappen and perhaps taken second place.

      But it is clear that the atmosphere in the Mercedes team already resembles a cold war and will only intensify if other drivers cannot intervene in the dispute between Antonelli and Russell.

      Returning to the topic of Ferrari, I remind you that they will not be able to reinvent themselves. There are still many races ahead, the shortcomings of the SF-26 are quite obvious, it is less powerful than Mercedes and even, probably, Red Bull, especially since Max Verstappen drove in his usual manner, like a champion, on his team's home track.

      In a few days, Formula 1 will return to the UK, Hamilton's homeland, and it was at Silverstone in 1951 that Ferrari and its driver Froilán González achieved their first historic victory in World Championship stages. Perhaps this will be a strong enough incentive?