Ferrari’s historic penchant for a good crisis remains – 90 years down the track | Richard Williams

Maranello team were hoping to wrap up the season with a first world title in more than a decade but mistake after mistake has again undermined their challenge

As Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc leave the pit lane of the Yas Marina circuit on Friday for the first practice session at the final grand prix of the season, it will be 90 years to the day since Enzo Ferrari registered the name of his new racing team with the local authorities in Modena, his home town. By putting his name to that document Ferrari set in motion an era of glory and glamour and tragedy and disappointment, creating an unfolding narrative characterised by an instinct for high drama.

The members of Scuderia Ferrari arrive in Abu Dhabi at the end of a year spent celebrating that anniversary. The idea was to end the season in triumph with the team’s first world championship for more than a decade. When Leclerc won the classic mid-season races at Spa and Monza, the Ferrari flags were flying again. But one mistake after another cost the team the chance to challenge their rivals, culminating in the absurd incident at Interlagos when Vettel’s brainless misjudgment caused a collision with Leclerc that put both cars out of the race with half a dozen laps to go.

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