\u201cExternal influences\u201d have resulted in the Ferrari team making poor decisions under pressure for the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc over the years.<\/p>\n
That is the claim of Neil Martin, Ferrari\u2019s former head of strategy, who has insisted that the team\u2019s \u201cstate-of-the-art\u201d strategy tools are not the problem.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton finds new ally after Ferrari \u2018pressure\u2019 admission<\/p>\n
Without a World Championship of any kind since 2008, Ferrari has developed a reputation for poor strategy decisions over recent years with Leclerc\u2019s title challenge in 2022 collapsing partly as a result of a number of questionable decisions by the pit wall.<\/p>\n
Hamilton has also found frustration in Ferrari\u2019s strategy calls in F1 2025, having several tense exchanges with race engineer Riccardo Adami over team radio.<\/p>\n
The seven-time World Champion revealed at July\u2019s Belgian Grand Prix that he has submitted a series of \u201cdocuments\u201d to the team<\/a> in the hope of getting his Ferrari career back on track after a difficult start to the F1 2025 season.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head scores for F1 2025<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton explained that his willingness to \u201cgo the extra mile\u201d is driven by his refusal to follow in the footsteps of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, established champions who failed to win the title with Ferrari.<\/p>\n It emerged during the recent summer break that Hamilton\u2019s proposals<\/a>\u00a0relate not only to tweaks to the car, but also changes to Ferrari\u2019s working methods, communication between different departments at Maranello and the execution of race weekends.<\/p>\n Martin joined Ferrari from Red Bull in January 2011 as part of a new-look race operations team after a poor strategy decision cost Alonso the title at the 2010 finale in Abu Dhabi, leaving Maranello in 2015.<\/p>\n And the former strategy chief has insisted that Ferrari\u2019s tools are not the issue, with the team lacking \u201cclear\u201d decision making in high-pressure scenarios.<\/p>\n Asked if deeper factors are behind the team\u2019s history of poor strategy calls, Martin told Champions Speakers<\/a> in association with PlanetF1.com:\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s a really interesting question on the basis that I worked for Ferrari for around five years.<\/p>\n \u201cI can confirm that when I left, their strategy tools were state of the art. I think what happens is just having the tools is not good enough.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need communication which is good, you need engineers who can make clear, crisp decisions based on that information.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think other factors, such as the pressure of the entire nation for Ferrari to win, and all sorts of external influences.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder that pressure I think people probably are making decisions that I certainly wouldn\u2019t make.<\/p>\n \u201c[That\u2019s] probably the nice way to phrase it.\u201d<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Lewis Hamilton news<\/a><\/p>\n