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Ferrari have earned notoriety this season in terms of its strategic acumen. The team has struggled to perform at the kind of level that separates contenders from title winners, which has been amply evident.
Even in the last race before the summer break, Ferrari messed up their strategy in the Hungarian GP, where they gifted the win to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. This season, there have been far too many instances of the Italian team messing up even the basics in terms of strategy.
However, what would be your reaction if we told you this has not always been the case. What if we told you there have been times in the last decade or so where Ferrari have won races primarily because they didn't panic and made the best decisions in crucial situations?
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Instances of Ferrari's recent strategic brilliance
Here's a look at the five times when the Italian team put on a strategic masterclass to win races:
#1 2018 F1 Australian GP
In the current F1 ecosystem, if there are two drivers of the same team fighting against one driver of the other team, it's common for the first team to extend the stint of one driver while attacking the undercut with the second driver.
In 2018, that wasn't common, and such kind of strategic acumen was not often on display. At the Australian GP that year, Lewis Hamilton started on pole with Kimi Raikkonen in second place ahead of Sebastian Vettel in third. There wasn't much action at the start of the race, as Hamilton led the race from the start while the two Ferraris followed him.
When it was time to pit, Ferrari triggered the undercut with Kimi Raikkonen and pitted him first. Mercedes responded to that and pitted Hamilton to cover off Raikkonen. Amidst all that, Vettel was left out as he continued to run a strong pace.
Within a few laps as Hamilton was starting to cut Vettel's lead, an ill-timed safety car ruined things for Mercedes. Vettel got an almost free pitstop as he was able to change tyres and come out ahead of Hamilton.
Once he had the track position, Vettel did not relent, holding of Hamilton to pick up the win. The win was entirely down to Hamilton being forced to pit early while Vettel took advantage of the safety car.
#2 2017 F1 Bahrain GP
The 2017 Bahrain GP was a race that showed a completely different side of Ferrari compared to what has been evident this season. Vettel had a strong car compared to Mercedes but one of the biggest disadvantages was the top speed Mercedes enjoyed.
Vettel was stuck behind Bottas, with Hamilton right behind him. While the German had the speed even with DRS he could not make a move on the Mercedes driver. Ferrari then went ultra-aggressive, pitting Vettel on lap 9 . That was an aggressive move by the team, and everything could have gone pear-shaped had the move had not worked.
Fortunately, the plan worked, and Vettel used the clean air provided to him from the track position and never looked back to win the race. This was a confident and bold outlook that worked like a charm for the Italian team.
#3 2015 F1 Malaysian GP
This was the second race of Vettel's Ferrari career, and no one would have thought it would turn out this way. This was just the second year of the Turbo Hybrid era, and Mercedes were almost untouchable. However, Vettel pulled of a lap out of nowhere to qualify in P2 in wet weather conditions in qualifying.
On raceday, though, the temperature soared - so much so that Mercedes, the car that produced the maximum downforce in the entire grid - were worried about degradation of their medium tyres.
As soon as the race started, Vettel kept Hamilton in his sights. After the first couple of laps, an incident led to the introduction of safety car, which neutralised everything. Mercedes jumped at the opportunity to pit Hamilton, while Ferrari opted to let Vettel run in free air.
Vettel ran at the front, managed his tyres, and with a calm strategy employed by the team, the German won the race.
#4 2012 F1 Malaysian GP
The 2012 Malaysian GP saw Fernando Alonso get the accolades for putting together one of the best drives in a car that should have been nowhere close to a podium. The rain at Sepand that weekend complicated things for everyone.
However, the Ferrari-Fernando Alonso combination worked wonders - picking the right time to switch to intermediates and then switch back to slicks - as the team helped Alonso pick up an unlikely win.
#5 2010 F1 Italian GP
Ferrari's strategic masterclass at Monza in 2010 does not get the kind of recognition it deserves. From the outside, it appeared it was just Alonso using the overcut to jump Jenson Button on the track to win the race. However, things weren't that simple.
In 2010, there was no DRS. Even though there are long straights in Monza, it has never been one of the easiest tracks to overtake. Ferrari had to make a decision - go for the undercut by pitting first and try to jump Button with a faster outlap, or go for the overcut, allow Button to pit first and have Alonso eke out a lap fast enough to jump the British driver. The entire race, a 14-point swing depended on that decision.
Eventually, Ferrari opted for the overcut. Alonso was told to save his tyres behind the McLaren driver and push when Button pitted. The Spaniard did just that and picked up an emotional win in front of the Tifosi.
It's sad to see how the mighty have fallen, but it's also a nice reminder that things can turn around once again.
