Mourinho admits sympathy amid Ferrari slump
Jul.6 (GMM) Football manager legend Jose Mourinho admits he has special sympathy for the top Formula 1 players at Ferrari, amid the latest tough times in red.
As rumours still swirl about the future of team boss Frederic Vasseur, Charles Leclerc summed up the overwhelming pressure on the radio after both he and Lewis Hamilton fluffed their chance at pole.
Swearing nine times in nine seconds, Leclerc turned his anger onto himself.
“I am so f*cking sh*t. That’s all I am,” said the Monegasque.
Even Hamilton made a mistake in Q3, earning a rare rebuke from Vasseur.
“A few races ago it was more of a structural issue,” the Frenchman told Sky Italia. “Today it was a matter of mistakes.
“The car was there – it was two drivers who didn’t put everything together on the decisive lap. We have to work on that.”
Once he had composed himself somewhat, however, Leclerc refused to take all the blame.
“I’m tired of coming to the microphones and saying this or that was missing,” he said. “I don’t have the same feeling I had with the 2024 car in qualifying.
“We have specific problems and in qualifying it becomes more difficult, because there are strange things in the car but we know where they come from.”
Leclerc then added, somewhat mysteriously: “There is something else in the car that we have never talked about, and it is better this way. But we are struggling with this problem and hope that the solution will come soon.”
One very familiar face in the Silverstone paddock this weekend has been Jose Mourinho – the legendary, polarising, and highly successful football manager.
When asked if he has any advice for Ferrari amid the latest difficult moment for the Maranello-based marque, he answered: “Ferrari is the Real Madrid of Formula 1.
“At Real, they say that when you put on the white jersey you’re already winning 1-0. It’s the same with Ferrari – when you step onto the track, you win. But while wearing red is a dream, it is also a huge responsibility.
“It’s logical that representing such an important brand involves a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure,” Mourinho added. “How do you deal with the pressure? By winning.”
Of the four top teams in F1 this year, Ferrari is the only one yet to win a single race.
“You have to have the strength to overcome,” Mourinho continued, “to believe in yourself, and to try to have the time that the owners and the fans usually don’t give you.
“But as a coach, player, team manager, driver, you have to believe in yourself and in what your teammates are doing.”
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