Ferrari came under fire from Italian media following the Hungarian GP, where its drivers finished eighth and seventh respectively.
Italian media sources, known for usually being partisan to the Scuderia, put them on blast.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper gave Ferrari just 4 out of 10 stars for the weekend’s showing.
It claimed that: “The (Ferrari) red is no longer that of glorious victories, but of a shrimp in retreat.”
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Corriere della Sera gave Charles Leclerc, who finished above his teammate Carlos Sainz, a five out of ten rating.
The Monegasque driver had to end his weekend denying rumours that he was “demotivated.”
The newspaper stated: “He got another penalty, this time for speeding in the pitlane.
“He goes from sixth to seventh in the race. The first pitstop failed due to a malfunctioning wheel gun.
“In short, in one way or another, it’s not his time and it sure isn’t this season.”
Leo Turrini, one of Italy’s most experienced and renowned journalists, noted the timing of this poor performance by the Scuderia.
He pointed out it came on the anniversary of Ferrari’s back-to-back wins last July, when the team claimed pole positions at the British and Austrian GPs.
In his column in the Quotidiano Nazionale, Turrini wrote: “It seemed like the beginning of a red era.
“It’s been 12 months and the backwards step is now sensationally stark. All indices are negative.
“The depressing truth is that this Ferrari we see inflicts very hard blows on the passion of those who love it. Because we don’t see the turning point.
“No one expects miracles like overtaking Max Verstappen’s flying Red Bull.
“But beaten by the Alfa-Saubers in qualifying and looking at McLaren and Mercedes through binoculars in the race is a bit much.”
Turrini went on to question what the top brass at Ferrari was doing about the situation, calling out CEO John Elkann, among others.
Former F1 driver, Vitaly Petrov, agrees with Turrini’s pessimistic views on Ferrari’s future.
Petrov said: “What plans they have, what they are doing, no one knows.
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“All of them complain – about the different tyres or about updates that don’t work properly.
“It’s possible that Ferrari is already preparing for next year.
“But what is clearer is that no one will talk about it openly.”