Italian Media: Ferrari continues to grope in the dark

Relegated to the heart of the midfield with no short-term way out, the SAcuderia's drivers struggled all weekend without power coupled to pitiful pace relative to Mercedes who simply ran away with the show, dictating from the front.

In Barcelona, on Sunday, Sebastian Vettel kept the SF1000 pointed in the right direction this time out, but the beast did him no favours with its lack of pace in the 66-lap race, nor did the Ferrari pitwall that sentenced him to do one-stint, and thus almost 36 laps on old soft Pirellis, a tactic that caught him unaware.

Nevertheless, the German soldiered on to finish seventh but embarrassingly was lapped by the winning Mercedes, such was the gulf between the Reds and their former front of the pack rivals.

From ninth on the grid, Charles Leclerc was typically punching above his weight, with fifth place a real possibility when his car simply switched off and flung itself into a spin before stopping on the edge of the track in the Turn 14 chicane, facing the wrong way.

What followed was a comedy of errors as the Monaco Kid loosened his seatbelts during the stall, which seemed permanent until he somehow got going again. He drove into the pits to the usual chaos of a crew caught unawares. Not long after they parked the #16 Ferrari with only 37 laps completed.

Italian media have been sore this whole year since it became evident team boss Mattia Binotto and the smart guys at Maranello were not that clever after all, they now pay the price for a combination of technical failures and mishaps, exacerbated by the recent castration of their PU package by the FIA.

This is what the Italian media big guns had to say on Monday:

Corriere della Sera: "Leclerc suffers in the hands of an unpredictable and unstable car. The sluggishness of his car is a heavy burden for a talented driver like him. The rift between Ferrari and Vettel is getting deeper and deeper."

Corriere dello Sport: "A never-ending disaster for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc has to retire because of mechanical problems. The constant difficulties humiliate the talent of the Monegasque, while Vettel sees light again; his seventh place is a consolation for Ferrari; tyre master Seb manages 36 laps on a set of used softs. He's done a lot lately to be criticized, but this time he fought. How long to the end? "

La Repubblica: "King Hamilton regains his throne while Ferrari continues to grope in the dark. Vettel has done a lot recently to be criticized, but this time he fought bravely. His seventh-place a glimmer of light for Ferrari."

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Hamilton rules without rivals. There are still three victories remaining to match Michael Schumacher's 91 successes - he is one step ahead of the top of Mount Everest, which until recently seemed unattainable. Now the discussion can begin as to who really is the greatest Formula 1 driver in history."

F1Sport.it: "Vettel saves Ferrari, Leclerc retired. The shortcomings of Scuderia continue to surface in this F1 championship: Charles Leclerc retires due to a problem with the engine. Good race for Sebastian Vettel who finishes in seventh place and brings points to Maranello.