It's been questionable but after the Russian GP I think the truth is now out that Merc have figured out our engine "tricks" 100%. We saw in Spa that Ferrari had the upper hand, and we are reminded by Lewis' comments after that race that Ferrari had some "tricks" and Merc had better figure them out (they most likely knew already the solution but just needed to implement) Come Monza they were back on form although it was masked a bit by our qualifying and Seb's 1st lap spin, ultimately Merc won that race. Singapore and now Russia, two very different track layouts, and Merc has taken both with ease. We will need to develop even more but we definitely need to figuring out our tyre deg. At this point if I were management I would say we should probably shift focus even more to next year, maybe introduce some engine upgrades this year even if it means taking a penalty.. not sure if that can be done though.
Further, after our losses where we thought we could have won; Germany, Hungary, Monza, Singapore and now with confirmation of Merc ahead of us in Russia, I feel Ferrari management will have no trouble shifting more to next year. Just like the decision to promote Leclerc, MA has confirmed after Russia by saying he will control the ship with a long term vision. ie. We had our chance, but it didn't work out, we must keep pushing but looking long term and not at the "what ifs"
Lastly, Another dismal day for Kimi in Russia unfortunately. I know this is becoming a bit of an old and controversial topic but it is about time we see Kimi leaving at the end of the season. He has been consistent, respected, entertaining off track, and who knows how much he has contributed to what we have on track. He is also a great name and marketing tool; I have friends who don't know F1 from Nascar but they know the name Raikkonen and even know he drives a Ferrari. He has been good and had a few moments on track where you see the old kimi but he is not the racer he once was. Age, technology, car characteristics, setup, or whatever the reason, he just can't get the job done on race day and it has been many years of seeing this happen every race and every "battle" he is involved in. It also doesn't help that he brings a slight aura of "not so good luck". It's frustrating and I can just imagine trying to strategize with the unknowns he brings on race day. For sure it will be a big change to see him move on but I will not miss the usual excuse of "the tyres just weren't working in the first stint" and with his departure will bring a new life to Ferrari going into the next few years I can assure you that. It's been a long time that we have been on the Kimi bandwagon, it's good to know he will still be around with Sauber that's for sure.
Our team's tried and tested views, visions, and philosophies of how we run as an F1 team have given us many victories, championships, and moments that will last a lifetime. We cannot forget that but at the same time we have gone too long without a championship and seeing some of the bold changes we are making is promising; we need to come up with a hybrid of new and old thinking and make a few policy changes to modernize in this progressively fast moving world. I'm very interested to see what will come about with some fresh thinking.
Still hoping our car dominates in Japan. See you guys soon!
Forza Ferrari
Originally Posted by Rishu
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