LONDON: Ferrari's early season delight has become a discussion of disaster after the Italian team's nightmare in Baku on Sunday, but it is still too early to write off their title hopes.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was Ferrari's first double failure to finish for reasons of reliability since the 2009 opener in Australia.
Charles Leclerc, starting on pole for the sixth time in eight rounds and fourth in a row, was stopped by a power unit problem while leading -- the second time that has hit the Monegasque in three races.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz, the first retirement of the race, was halted by hydraulics.
Monday's front page of Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport spoke of 'Ferrari disaster' and declared, over a picture of Leclerc's stricken car, that the championship had gone up in smoke.
Leclerc, who had led Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen by 46 points after the first three races, is now 34 behind.
Red Bull have won the last five races and Ferrari, the sport's oldest and most successful team who last won a title in 2008, are now 80 points behind in the constructors' standings.
Yet the wild swings of fortune also provide some hope in a championship of 22 races where just one retirement can be a game-changer.
Ferrari's car has gremlins lurking within but is also undeniably quick.
WIDE OPEN
"It must be immensely frustrating (for them) but the championship is still wide open," Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, told Sky Sports television.
"OK, it’s a terrible day for them as a result but I don’t think it’s a disaster. It’s too early to start talking about that. And Red Bull have had their problems as well."
That is true, with Verstappen twice failing to finish, but Sunday's race pointed to a wider problem for Ferrari with their Haas and Alfa Romeo 'customer' teams also suffering retirements for reliability reasons.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said there was plenty of work to do and pointed out his team had made a huge effort over the winter to upgrade their power unit and get back on top.
"It's a journey which we are on, and there is still another step which is required right now. I think as a team again we will stay united, work hard," he said.
"We have been capable of doing a proper job so far, we know that the job is not finished but we will do it."
Just as Ferrari did not get euphoric after Leclerc won two of the first three races and was second in the other with fastest laps in all of them, the team were not about to get despondent, said Binotto.
Time is not on Ferrari's side, however, with the next race in Canada this weekend.
"The trend has gone against Ferrari, the trend has gone towards Red Bull and now its going towards Max," said Hill. "Ferrari are obviously the losers ... and they’ve got a lot of thinking to do."
ETX Studio
Tue Jun 14 2022
Formula One F1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan - June 12, 2022 Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. in action during the race. - REUTERS
88 badan pensijilan halal luar negara dapat pengiktirafan JAKIM
Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) telah memberikan pengiktirafan kepada 88 badan pensijilan halal luar negara setakat Mei tahun ini.
eWarga Emas bentuk sistem penyampaian perkhidmatan berkesan, bersepadu - Noraini
Portal sistem warga emas (eWarga Emas) dibangunkan bagi membentuk sistem penyampaian perkhidmatan warga emas yang berkesan dan bersepadu.
MITRA lulus lebih RM95 juta untuk 11 program masyarakat India
Kesemua program yang dalam pelaksanaan itu memberi tumpuan kepada usaha memperkasakan sosioekonomi komuniti India dalam negara.
Kestabilan sosiopolitik Sabah bolehkan agihan ekonomi saksama - Juhar
Smber daya, kekayaan alam semula jadi dan potensi ekonomi dalam masyarakat dapat dibahagi dengan cara memberi peluang sama kepada rakyat.
Kenanga jangka OPR stabil 3.0 peratus pada 2025
Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd menjangka Kadar Dasar Semalaman (OPR) kekal stabil pada 3.0 peratus sepanjang 2025.
Johor sasar jumlah ternakan cecah 200,000 ekor pada 2027
Johor menyasarkan jumlah ternakan di negeri ini mencapai hingga 200,000 ekor pada 2027 setelah berjaya mencapai jumlah pengeluaran ternakan sebanyak 152,000 ekor hingga bulan lepas.
Hargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat dan penglibatan - Lee Lam Thye
Lee Lam Thye menekankan keperluan mendesak untuk menghargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat, dan penglibatan yang lebih baik.
Malaysia perlu bersedia penuhi keperluan TBB yang semakin meningkat - Fadillah
Keperluan tenaga boleh baharu (TBB) di negara ini semakin meningkat seiring dengan keyakinan pelabur asing khususnya untuk mewujudkan pusat-pusat data.
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Fahmi berkata ia termasuk isu Internet di kawasan terpencil, pedalaman dan pulau-pulau dalam memastikan akses Internet berkelajuan tinggi lebih meluas.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Ferrari tidak lagi tawarkan sistem navigasi GPS dalam kenderaan
Keputusan diambil kerana Ferrari menyedari aplikasi GPS pada telefon adalah lebih baik berbanding sistem GPS yang ditawarkan dalam kenderaan.
Habuan lumayan buat pemain 'bintang' di Arab Saudi
Habuan itu diberikan oleh kelab-kelab ternama sebagai tanda terima kasih kepada para pemain 'kesayangan' mereka.
Ferrari lancar EV pertama hujung 2025
Ferrari SpA sedang merancang untuk memperkenalkan model kenderaan elektrik penuh (EV) pertamanya di seluruh dunia menjelang akhir 2025.
Carlos Sainz Ferrari muncul juara Grand Prix F1 Singapura
Carlos Sainz melakar kemenangan untuk Ferrari dalam Grand Prix Formula 1 Singapura 2023.
F1: Nafi bakal sertai Ferrari, Hamilton jangka bakal perbaharui kontrak bersama Mercedes
Dilaporkan Ferrari sedang menyediakan bidaan untuk mendapatkan Hamilton dalam perpindahan blockbuster.
F1: Mana mungkin Hamilton sertai Ferrari - Ecclestone
Masa depan Hamilton dalam sukan itu masih dalam penelitian dengan enam bulan untuk menjalankan perjanjian GBP40 juta setahun di Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc sayangkan Ferrari, nafi ganti Lewis Hamilton di Mercedes
Pemandu Monegasque itu masih memburu podium pertama musim 2023 selepas membuat permulaan yang hambar.
F1: Leclerc rayu peminat berhenti datang ke rumahnya
Pemandu F1 pasukan Ferrari itu tidak tahu bagaimana alamat rumahnya di Monaco boleh diketahui umum.
Naza tamatkan perkongsian dengan Ferrari
Naza menamatkan perkongsiannya dengan Ferrari SpA berikutan harapan pengeluar kereta mewah Itali itu yang tidak selari dengan strategi Naza.
Ferrari lantik Vasseur sebagai ketua pasukan F1
Ferrari melantik bekas ketua Alfa Romeo Frederic Vasseur sebagai ketua pasukan Formula Satu (F1) baharunya, menggantikan Mattia Binotto, kata pasukan Itali itu.