Leo Turini: The Qatar Grand Prix will not remain in my memory

Leo Turini, a veteran of Italian racing journalism, in his commentary on the results of the Qatar Grand Prix, questions not only Frederic Vasseur, whose team once again upset his fans, but also Stefano Domenicali, the president of Formula 1, who believes the race was an example of how age-old traditions are being flouted in our favorite sport…

Some thoughts on the Grand Prix results, which won’t stick in my memory, at least not in mine.

Perhaps Qatar was the ideal place for Lionel Messi, it was very suitable for both Max Verstappen and McLaren, and this team is surprising more and more. This weekend she became a great example of how to adapt to any circuit with almost no training.

But Ferrari Qatar came no closer. And in general it is not suitable for Formula 1, and I will try to explain why.

Let’s start with the Scuderia. It is astonishing (and this is an understatement) that Carlos Sainz could not participate in the race at all due to a technical problem: something broke in the fuel system of his car. But when Lewis Hamilton launched a frenzied attack on George Russell at the start, I naively hoped that his retirement would give Ferrari the chance to at least regain a few points from Mercedes.

But no. Although Russell was at the back of the peloton, he then calmly made his way to the front, overtook and then came in front of Charles Leclerc. All this suggests that Ferrari’s journey through the Qatari desert was not the road to the Promised Land. To put it bluntly, Fred Wasser needs to ask himself some questions and probably provide some answers.

Another point I would like to emphasize has nothing to do with the Maranello team. Money has no smell, the sports world has its own laws and business is business.

But there are other considerations that are more important than financial ones: they can be called reputational. Is it even worth holding races on a track where the FIA ​​has to introduce three mandatory pit stops to avoid unnecessary risks?

Wouldn’t it be better to ask my friend Stefano Domenicali, the Italian heir of Bernie Ecclestone, to demand that the local organizers, even if they are sheikhs, respect traditions and history – I will even capitalize this word – the history of Formula 1, which goes back so many decades?

It’s not that I’m so naive. By the way, I am not prone to useless nostalgia for times long past; I just hate these kinds of experiences. But still, there are some boundaries that must be respected and not crossed. But Max Verstappen always wins, I know that. But in short, there are varieties and varieties, and they can be practiced in different ways.