Briatore lashes out: 'It's the same old song at Ferrari again'

Briatore was active in Formula 1 from 1988 to 2009. As team boss, he won the championship twice with Benetton and twice with Renault, and spearheaded the careers of Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. During his time as team boss, he regularly went up against Ferrari.

"We have known Ferrari like this for years," Briatore stated, reflecting on how the Italian racing stable is performing this year. "It's not as if something unique has happened now, it's the same as what kept happening before. Ferrari's policy has to be bold. Last year they had an advantage, but then the FIA changed the rules because of porpoising. If I had been at Ferrari, I would not have allowed the rules to be changed."

Communication to Leclerc was shaky

At the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the internal problems at Ferrari became painfully obvious. Quite apart from the fact that the speed of the car was disappointing, there was a particular moment when Leclerc publicly reprimanded his race engineer over the way instructions were passed on to the driver.

"Even the communication is not brilliant," judged Briatore. "In the winter, Ferrari always seems to be a title contender, and then it turns out not to be so. During the presentation of the car, [CEO Benedetto Vigna] said it was the fastest Ferrari ever. This only creates confusion. You shouldn't promise so much! Now Ferrari is forced to win the world championship, but unfortunately other teams have it much better. Closing this gap is going to be very, very difficult."