Symonds: Ferrari's strategy for Räikkönen in China 'regrettable'

Now on the other side of the barrier by joining Liberty Media after leading the technical department of Williams Martini Racing, Pat Symonds nevertheless keeps a close eye on the evolution of the races in F1.

And the strategy of Team Ferrari does not seem to have received the favors of the engineer. "I think they have to decide how to run, says Symonds. I think the way they used Räikkönen in China was unfortunate, leaving him for so long and trying to slow down the other cars.

And to be honest, it didn't really work. By the time his rivals reached him, his tires were destroyed and they were able to overtake easily, so it wasn't a big strategic decision.

I don't think that's the way to win a Constructors' Championship. They obviously feel that the Drivers' Championship is more important, and they made their decision for that. »

The question of tires at Mercedes

Pat Symonds also notes that world champions Mercedes have encountered their share of problems. Lewis Hamilton has still not managed to win this year, and tire management remains a real problem this season, as the team recently recalled.

« With an aerodynamic/chassis package, getting to the optimal settings might mean you're hoping to find a tenth or more from Friday to Saturday. But when you get a big change, when suddenly you're not competitive, it must be something to do with the tires.

»

Symonds, however, does not bury the star-studded team, undefeated since the start of the Power Units era, even when its car behaving like a “diva” last year, with a certain inconsistency.

“Don't get me wrong, Mercedes are still very strong and very capable of winning the title this year but, perhaps more than Ferrari, they are going to have races where they don't put their tires in the right working range and