‘Call Jean Todt’: Ferrari slammed for team orders stance in Saudi GP

Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished in P6 and P7 at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ferrari were hoping to build on a relatively successful qualifying session.

After Charles Leclerc’s engine penalty he started the race in P12 while his teammate Carlos Sainz started in P4.

With Sainz starting fourth, the aim would have been for the Spaniard to score a podium whilst Leclerc climbed the order as much as possible to recover a strong haul of points.

Unfortunately for the Scuderia, their race did not go to plan, ending with Sainz in P6 and Leclerc in P7.

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This result disappointed Ferrari fans, who have taken to social media to express their feelings about their team’s early season form.

“Honestly, just stay in Maranello for the remaining races. Better than having to deal with this embarrassment every other week. At least in 2020 there was an explanation! Now it’s just embarrassing,” posted one fan on Twitter.

In Bahrain, Ferrari looked to be slower than Red Bull but certainly in the fight for podiums but in Jeddah, the Scuderia seemed some way off the pace.

Both Mercedes finished above the Ferrari’s topping off a poor day for the Scuderia in their hunt for second place in the constructors’ championship.

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Leclerc managed to catch up to Sainz following a safety car caused by Lance Stroll’s retirement and some fans were frustrated by the fact that Ferrari refused to issue team orders to allow the Monegasque driver to pass his teammate.

“Did you all forget what team orders are? Call Jean Todt, he’ll tell you how to use them,” said another fan on Twitter.

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After two races, Ferrari now sit fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes.

With Red Bull looking almost unbeatable so far this season, Ferrari simply cannot afford to be losing ground to Aston Martin and Mercedes in their battle for second place.

The Scuderia will be hoping for a better result next time out in Australia, where a very different track will test the versatility and true potential of the SF-23.