Hill says Ferrari performance 'lamentable' at times

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Like Ferrari's fans, Damon Hill was hopeful of the Italian outfit challenging for the title after it hit the ground running at the start of 2022, but ultimately the Scuderia's performance proved "lamentable".

With two wins in the first three races, Charles Leclerc put a stronghold on the championship, which led many to believe that the House of Maranello was back in business.

While Ferrari's performance this season has undeniably improved, operational and strategy blunders have frequently thrown a spanner in the works, leaving Verstappen to pick up the wins and leading Hill to wonder whether the championship was won by Red Bull "brilliance" or lost by Ferrari's missteps and slipups.

"I think it's very difficult to actually decide whether or not it's Red Bull and Max's brilliance this season and almost perfect performance, or whether it was Ferrari shooting themselves in the foot," said the 1996 F1 world champion on the latest F1 Nation podcast.

"It was a lamentable at times performance from them because they showed so much promise at the beginning.

"Between team strategy and a few driver errors, they're basically lacking the ability to move forward with the car.

"They didn't provide the challenge to Max because it's still close between Sergio [Perez] and Charles in the championship."

Read also: Leclerc tipped as future champion - by Verstappen's manager!

While critical of Ferrari, Hill nevertheless underscored Red Bull's effectiveness and Verstappen's "sublime" confidence.

"If you took Max out the equation, you could say: 'Okay, well that's the difference,' but Max was 20 seconds ahead of Charles and Sergio in Japan in the wet after 20 laps," added Hill.

"It was a second a lap quicker and Ferrari just couldn't play with that at all. They were done by that and Charles's tyres were routed.

"That indicates that their setup is not working the tyres the way that Red Bull are, so they couldn't provide a challenge.

"But Max's confidence was [high], he was really serene. He was sublime brilliant all year, and never looked rattled."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.