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The anomaly detected in the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc 45 minutes before departure was cleared almost three hours after the checkered flag at Yas Marina. The difference of 4.88 kilograms between the measurements of Jo Bauer, technical delegate of the FIA, and what was declared by the Scuderia , did not comply with the regulations, so the podium of the Monegasque pilot was in doubt until the last minute. From Red Bull a disqualification was requested, although the FIA ​​finally opted for a fine of 50,000 euros. This mess involved the epilogue to a disastrous season in Maranello, plagued by internal problems, mechanical errors and contradictory orders.

Conclusive numbers

The duel between a 32-year world champion in the middle of the downhill and an ambitious talent of 21 marked the day-to-day life of Ferrari. The numbers overwhelmingly smile at the Monegasque, which was better in points (264-240), victories (2-1), podiums (10-9), 'poles' (7-2) and qualifying sessions (12-8). In fact, Vettel could only beat him face to face in the race (9-7). The 504 points of the global balance, at 235 of Mercedes, were even worse than the 571 of 2018 or the 522 of 2017.

Origins of 'crack'

From the first World Cup race, the radio conversations between the engineers and the pilots revealed the tension that was cooking there. In Australia, Leclerc was forced to stay in Vettel's wake, even though he had more rhythm. Two weeks later, the '16' lost patience for the first time and refused to abide by it. However, when he rolled straight for the victory of his life, one of the cylinders of the SF-90 failed calamitously.

Singapore and Sochi

With all these preliminaries on the table, Ferrari conquered his bittersweet double in Singapore, soiled by orders that privileged Vettel again to the detriment of Leclerc. It sounded like compensation for what happened two weeks before in the classification of the Italian GP. To find something like that, one would have to go back to that embarrassing chapter of Hockenheim in 2010, when Felipe Massa had to make his way to Fernando Alonso.

Still hot coals of Marina Bay, everything was twisted even more in Sochi, where the three plans (A, B, C) of Iñaki Rueda, head of the strategy, were of no use. After the clamorous errors of the wall, the double went to Mercedes, while Leclerc, author of the 'pole', was relegated to third place and Vettel left for a breakdown in the MGU-K.

Vettel, almost without a license

The visit to Montreal, in the first week of June, seemed conducive to the 'pole' of Vettel, the first for the German after 17 drought races. However, an erratic maneuver against Lewis Hamilton after stepping on the grass of curve 4, triggered a penalty of five seconds.

After receiving the first checkered flag, the commissioners relegated him to second place, so Vettel set up his scene in the closed park, changing the posters of 1st and 2nd. "They have to be absolutely blind. They have robbed us," he said wrathfully. However, that mistake was only the first of a succession where the top of Monza before Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly or the onslaught of Max Verstappen in Silverstone must be included. In fact, in mid-September, the German only had three points left on the license.

Lazy 'pit stop'

The lack of speed with the gun, the 'lollipop' or the tires has been another constant of the year at Ferrari, the seventh slowest team on the grid, just ahead of Alfa Romeo, Toro Rosso and Racing Point.

Vettel's 6.91 seconds on lap 12 at Yas Marina were only the auction of the catastrophic 2019, which also highlighted the tremendous coordination error at Spielberg. Meanwhile, Red Bull was down five times (Germany, Great Britain [2], Mexico and Brazil) of the two seconds.

Double Zero Interlagos

The picture of the two racing cars out of combat after Vettel's onslaught on Leclerc was so terrible that John Elkann was forced to intervene. "I am very angry. However good they may be, drivers should never forget that they are Ferrari employees," said the president of Scuderia . It was the first double zero since Singapore 2017, the second in the last 82 races. A pathetic scene, only at the height of the famous Red Bull Multi21 at the 2010 Turkish GP.

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