Steiner: Ferrari desperately needs ‘wake up call’ after Baku mess

Former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner says Ferrari is in dire need of a “wake up call” to recapture the runner-up spot in F1’s Constructors’ standings after its bruising Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.

The streets of Baku proved unforgiving for the Scuderia; with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton limping to eighth and ninth respectively on race day, outpaced by underdogs like Racing Bulls and Williams.

Mercedes, meanwhile, soared with George Russell’s second-place finish and Kimi Antonelli’s impressive fourth, leapfrogging Ferrari by four points in the standings.

Red Bull, hot off Max Verstappen’s back-to-back wins, lurk just 14 points behind Ferrari, making the fight for second a three-way thriller.

But Steiner didn’t hold back when assessing Ferrari’s troubles, underscoring the Italian outfit’s dismal showing.

“I think we have to give the wanker [loser award] this time to Ferrari, because eighth and ninth, beaten by Racing Bulls, beaten by Williams,” he said.

The former team boss was particularly baffled by Ferrari’s strategy.

“The mess not to let Charles by at the end, Lewis falling asleep to let him by because he was focused on something else…”

With the season winding down, Steiner’s message was clear: “They need to wake up, because if they want to finish second in a championship, like this it’s not going to happen. So at the moment, they’re not second anymore.”

Saturday Slip-Ups Set the Stage for Sunday Struggles

Steiner traced Ferrari’s Baku woes back to a disastrous qualifying session. Leclerc’s crash and Hamilton’s shocking Q2 exit left them starting 10th and 12th, respectively, on the grid.

“There is not one solution. They messed up a Saturday and then the result on Sunday is difficult to achieve,” Steiner explained.

“We expect a little bit more out of them but they clearly messed Saturday up. Then you are on the back foot and it’s very difficult to recover because a lot of cars are so close to you.

“They are only a few tenths out and then you cannot overtake because the delta is not big enough and you end up where you start. I’m not too surprised about that one.

“But the mistakes were made on Saturday, not on Sunday. On Sunday it was too late.”

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With only seven races left in 2025, Ferrari face the grim prospect of a winless campaign, a far cry from their pre-season expectations. Steiner warned that the competition isn’t slowing down.

“They need a wake up call if they want to finish second, which will be very difficult because Mercedes won races, Red Bull won races, Ferrari haven’t won a race yet,” he said.

“Any of the three, they are so close together, it’s too early to call it. If Mercedes has a good race and they win a race, and Kimi can score some points, they can be in front.”

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