Briatore says Ferrari team no longer excellent

[vcs316]

While Ferrari's global brand remains strong, the health of the Maranello based formula one team is less impressive.

That is the view of former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore, who was asked by Italian Radio 105 if he thinks Ferrari still stands for "excellence".

"The brand is an excellence," the 63-year-old former Renault and Benetton boss said.

"For the team, at the moment it is very difficult. It is not an excellence in competitiveness, in formula one, but the brand is very strong in the world," Briatore added.

Indeed, it is now more than six years since Kimi Raikkonen won the 2007 title, and 2014 is the fifth Ferrari campaign since F1's highest paid driver, Fernando Alonso, joined the Maranello team.

"The fear is rising within (team boss Stefano) Domenicali that the situation will not change," Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport commented on Tuesday.

Speculation Spaniard Alonso could return to McLaren to replace Jenson Button and lead the British team's new Honda era from 2015 is now increasing by the day.

"Eight years on since Fernando's last title," Gazzetta added, "how could he be stopped from moving to another team?"

Alonso was quoted in Bahrain last weekend as admitting he expected to join Ferrari in 2010 and add a third title to his tally relatively quickly.

He finished the Bahrain grand prix just ninth.

"This result speaks the truth," Alonso is now quoted as saying. "Currently we are only the fifth best team in the championship.

"The truth is that this result is what we are capable of," the German news agency SID quotes him as saying.

(GMM)

[Wildcat]

No, Ferrari stands for mediocre in F1 currently, and has been for the last 4 years under Domenicalli...

[shamim179]

Oh dear. That's more hints that Alonso will be leaving us should the opportunity arise. Not only words from Alonso but Briatore too. The partnership between Ferrari and Alonso should have brought much more success than it has and the letdown has been clearly Ferrari not being able to give Alonso a competitive enough car although they don't like to admit this.

We should have replaced Stefano years ago. Luca is to blame for this for his outmost trust and confidence in Stefano. I just think Stefano is there for Luca's convenience. He knows Stefano is not a very strong leader so won't undermine Luca's leadership and give him headaches and he's also very compliant.

[Laferrari]

Brand====>best sport car in the world, facinating,magestic,history,luxe.
F1 team====>pathetic,falling,find excuse,dog car,poor engine!!!

If doménicali and some other manager are not fire after this collapse there is no hope in future .

[Greig]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.

[Wildcat]

Ferrari should never be mediocre for so long...

[wacc]

Ferrari either dominate championship or they are mediocre. There is nothing between those extremes... :roll

[Greig]

Ferrari should never be mediocre for so long...

Why?

[Ferrarichamp]

it makes you wonder if Alonso has already signed for McLaren.

[ALO]

I seriously doubt Alonso would ever go back to McLaren, he has said this himself and restated this recently after the race in Bahrain as well.

He has firmly stated over and over again that he will retire at Ferrari, being part of Ferrari was always his dream whether he realized more championships with Ferrari or not he is living that dream now. I don't think there is another team he ever dreamed of being part of.

Plus McLaren is never better than Ferrari, they only get lucky or cheat us out of our ideas to win...LOL :-D

[Sianellen]

I seriously doubt Alonso would ever go back to McLaren, he has said this himself and restated this recently after the race in Bahrain as well.

He has firmly stated over and over again that he will retire at Ferrari, being part of Ferrari was always his dream whether he realized more championships with Ferrari or not he is living that dream now. I don't think there is another team he ever dreamed of being part of.

Plus McLaren is never better than Ferrari, they only get lucky or cheat us out of our ideas to win...LOL :-D

Actually he used to dream of going to Mclaren, more so than us, I vaguely remember. It didn't work out and he found a place with us where he has been greatly accepted and he is very comfortable and wants to stay.

[Gerhard Berger]

Yeh he dreamt of going to Mclaren because Senna was his hero. Then he found out that Ron Dennis is actually a ****.

Mclaren will not provide a better chance of success. Look at their record in the last 20 years. 3 WDC and 1 WCC.

[kiwifella]

He's still hungry for another WDC, he will leave Ferrari end of this season.

[Kiwi Nick]

Alonso must decide, which is the bigger dream, racing for Ferrari or winning his third WDC. In the record books there are only a handful of drivers with 3 WDC. But, the list of drivers who spent 5 years with Ferrari and did not win a WDC while there is long.

In the end it is the people who win championships. Ferrari has won 16 championships, 6 were with Schumacher/Brawn/Todt. After those three left it only took two years for the current team to lose the plot. Championships will not return to the Scuderia just because the cars are red. Only a team with players like Brawn, Newey, Todt, Dennis, or Horner on the principal and design side and drivers like Alonso, Kimi, Vettel, Hamilton, or Rosberg will win. Ferrari are missing at least one if not two of the elements required to earn a championship.

[Wildcat]

Why?

Because Ferrari has a meaning... It should be the brand everybody fears in F1.

[gvera]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.

I was 20 years old in 1979, I remember very clearly those 21 dark years!

[The Hajj]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.

Why should we be looking back on past poor results as consolation for the present situation? Using the past failures of Ferrari as a fallback position or some kind of crutch for the current team members is nothing more than a "feel good" excuse for failure. Putting your statement into life context, would look something like this:

A boy growing up gets involved with booze, drugs and crime. He gets arrested and does prison time. Upon release, he gets his act together, matures, and starts a business. The business grows, he invents a revolutionary new product that is sold worldwide. The boy, now a middle aged man, is a wealthy and respected man in his community.

If the man now becomes a drunken, drug addicted criminal but doesn't end up in prison, would you use the "look to the past" excuse for his behavior and be satisfied that he didn't end up back in prison?

Just because Ferrari had failures doesn't mean they have an excuse to repeat them.

[stefa]

Ferrari should never be mediocre for so long...

Last time it was 21 years...

[ManFromMilan]

Yeh he dreamt of going to Mclaren because Senna was his hero. Then he found out that Ron Dennis is actually a c**t.





:thumb


I am sure he will never return to Mclaren as long as Ron is in the picture.

[Gerhard Berger]

:thumb


I am sure he will never return to Mclaren as long as Ron is in the picture.

Yeh i think there may have been a chance when Whitmarsh was TP. Whitmarsh always said good things about Alonso - how he is a great competitor and how he was sad that Alonso left Mclaren after only 1 year.

Now Mclaren is run by Dennis. Even their new TP, Boullier, is not Alonso's biggest fan.

[Tony]

Alonso must decide, which is the bigger dream, racing for Ferrari or winning his third WDC. In the record books there are only a handful of drivers with 3 WDC. But, the list of drivers who spent 5 years with Ferrari and did not win a WDC while there is long.

In the end it is the people who win championships. Ferrari has won 16 championships, 6 were with Schumacher/Brawn/Todt. After those three left it only took two years for the current team to lose the plot. Championships will not return to the Scuderia just because the cars are red. Only a team with players like Brawn, Newey, Todt, Dennis, or Horner on the principal and design side and drivers like Alonso, Kimi, Vettel, Hamilton, or Rosberg will win. Ferrari are missing at least one if not two of the elements required to earn a championship.

I think it will be understandable if Alonso wants to leave, but ultimately for Ferrari I don't thnk it changes much... Alonso is not winning with Ferrari producing a bad car now and if Ferrari eventually deliver a top notch car, whoever else is there will simply take the title for them... so I can understand that an aging Alonso is starting to feel time pressure and can't fault him for leaving (if he does)... he gave it his best at the end of the day....

[Nero Horse]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration actually, out of the 55 years that the Constructor's championship has existed in F1, Ferrari has finished within the Top 3 in 41 seasons (16 times on 1st place - 15 times on 2nd place - 10 times on 3rd place). So Ferrari has been on top or near the top most of the time in F1 history.

[Tifoso]

Because Ferrari has a meaning... It should be the brand everybody fears in F1.
Nobody feared us much during the 1980's and a good part of the 1990's.

Things cycle. I understand that. The memories of the Schumi era keep me going. :-)

What drives me insane is Luca Di claiming we'll win everything year after year after year.

Just...shut...up.

[REDARMYSOJA]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.

Exactly, there have always been ups and downs. This IS F1 after all, the pinnacle of motorsports, the other teams aren't just soaking their eggs in the pool. It's not like Ferrari are up against a bunch of weekend racers. Ferrari always tries their best but sometimes your best just isn't good enough. I can only think of two season's recently, 2009 and this season, where the car has really been below par. The other years they were good, just not good enough.

[Gerhard Berger]

we had our down period in the last set of regulations (2009-13). We should have come back strong with this set of regulations, but it seems we have slipped further back.

[Mile123]

+1

[Mile123]

Sounds probable! :Hmm

[Greig]

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration actually, out of the 55 years that the Constructor's championship has existed in F1, Ferrari has finished within the Top 3 in 41 seasons (16 times on 1st place - 15 times on 2nd place - 10 times on 3rd place). So Ferrari has been on top or near the top most of the time in F1 history.

Sure you can say that but look how many points behind we were, we are horrible right now and will still be high up in the WCC.

[Bertie]

Nobody feared us much during the 1980's and a good part of the 1990's.

Things cycle. I understand that. The memories of the Schumi era keep me going. :-)

What drives me insane is Luca Di claiming we'll win everything year after year after year.

Just...shut...up.

+1

[stefa]

Nobody feared us much during the 1980's and a good part of the 1990's.

Things cycle. I understand that. The memories of the Schumi era keep me going. :-)

What drives me insane is Luca Di claiming we'll win everything year after year after year.

Just...shut...up.

:thumb
:clap
Express your self on the track with performance!

[Winter]

Nobody feared us much during the 1980's and a good part of the 1990's.

Things cycle. I understand that. The memories of the Schumi era keep me going. :-)

What drives me insane is Luca Di claiming we'll win everything year after year after year.

Just...shut...up.

His mouth is writing checks the team cant pay :lol

[Silent Bob]

we had our down period in the last set of regulations (2009-13). We should have come back strong with this set of regulations, but it seems we have slipped further back.

I don't understand why people think this set of regulations would benefit us over any other manufacturer. Apparently Mercedes lobbied for this formula and threatened to quit if the FIA didn't implement it. This was probably in their plans for many years and they probably knew these regs played to their strengths.... maybe even used this to entice Hamilton from McLaren. Manufacturing Hybrids is not a Ferrari forte as far as I know.

[Greig]

I thought Ferrari sided with Mercedes to get these engines?

[aroutis]

Some people need to look at our history before 2000 we have always been mediocre for a very large part of our past.
That is true, but then they built a really good team , which in turn brought a lot of great results, titles etc.
This is something that a great team and an organization should built upon (actually is expected to), and it seems, by the results that they have failed. The fact that we "used to be" does not dictate we "need to be".

But if that is how the team management thinks , perhaps we should know that.

[Giallo 550]

I'm not sure why it is unfair to expect Scuderia Ferrari to be competitive nearly every season. For the past 30 years, that's the way the New York Yankees have been.

[Cheeseman]

At the end of the day who cares what Bratore says anyway? After he was banned from F1 for cheating he never made it back. He lost Michael, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne to Ferrari at the end of 1995 and since then has always kept a dagger sharp to poke at Ferrari. He has always been a clown. Who would you trust to look after your kids? Stefano or Flavio
5821

[Wildcat]

I agree that there is too much talk for too little results at Ferrari.

[Nero Horse]

I'm not sure why it is unfair to expect Scuderia Ferrari to be competitive nearly every season. For the past 30 years, that's the way the New York Yankees have been.

It's not unfair to expect it, but it is unfair to start stamping your feet and crying when we're not as competitive as expected. And I'm not sure you can really compare a baseball team to something as complex as an F1 team, they're two completely different things.

[NickEice]

It's not unfair to expect it, but it is unfair to start stamping your feet and crying when we're not as competitive as expected. And I'm not sure you can really compare a baseball team to something as complex as an F1 team, they're two completely different things.

Yes however there is much more parody in baseball. There are realistically a handful of teams or less that can win in F1 each year. It is much harder to achieve sustained success in baseball and even though I am a Yankee fan, and I expect them to win every year, I expect evenmore from Ferrari. But I still have faith in the team to turn it around and I sure as heck don't miss a race ever. At the end of the day they are still the beautiful red cars we love no matter how crappy a season it is.

[Nero Horse]

But I still have faith in the team to turn it around and I sure as heck don't miss a race ever. At the end of the day they are still the beautiful red cars we love no matter how crappy a season it is.

Well I certainly agree with that part. :-)

[Kiwi Nick]

Parody - a comedy, spoof, send-up
Parity - equality of standing:Hmm

[NickEice]

Parody - a comedy, spoof, send-up
Parity - equality of standing:Hmm

I'm an accountant sorry. Grammar nazi.

[Kingdom Hearts]

At the end of the day who cares what Bratore says anyway? After he was banned from F1 for cheating he never made it back. He lost Michael, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne to Ferrari at the end of 1995 and since then has always kept a dagger sharp to poke at Ferrari. He has always been a clown. Who would you trust to look after your kids? Stefano or Flavio
5821

Pathetic post, first why don't you upload a pic of yourself on the beach, this way we can compare and second, who are you to question this guy as a father?. You don't like Flavio, that's fine but don't go personal to support your argument.

[Senna4Ever]

I can only think of two season's recently, 2009 and this season, where the car has really been below par.

what about 1993 and the F93A?
the livery just awful
the whole thing just a mess ... just to remind the pit exit where Berger just turn 90 degrees because buggy active suspension

[diesel08]

At the end of the day who cares what Bratore says anyway? After he was banned from F1 for cheating he never made it back. He lost Michael, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne to Ferrari at the end of 1995 and since then has always kept a dagger sharp to poke at Ferrari. He has always been a clown. Who would you trust to look after your kids? Stefano or Flavio
5821


to look after my kid Stefano, to manage F1 team Flavio :lol

[paneristi]

can't help :lol
to look after my kid Stefano, to manage F1 team Flavio :lol

[Gerhard Berger]

to look after my kid Stefano, to manage F1 team Flavio :lol

haha! well said!

[Gerhard Berger]

I don't understand why people think this set of regulations would benefit us over any other manufacturer. Apparently Mercedes lobbied for this formula and threatened to quit if the FIA didn't implement it. This was probably in their plans for many years and they probably knew these regs played to their strengths.... maybe even used this to entice Hamilton from McLaren. Manufacturing Hybrids is not a Ferrari forte as far as I know.

We're a works team which means we should have had an advantage over everyone else (except perhaps Mercedes).

[Silent Bob]

We're a works team which means we should have had an advantage over everyone else (except perhaps Mercedes).

Just because we're a works team doesn't mean we are better at hybrids than Mercedes or Renault. We weren't better at EBD's.

[Silent Bob]

I thought Ferrari sided with Mercedes to get these engines?

Perhaps they had no choice. It wouldn't be much of an F1 series with just Ferrari as engine manufacturer. Maybe it wasn't just Mercedes that threatened to quit, maybe it was Renault as well and maybe even Honda would have thought twice about coming back. I don't know what kind of pressures there were, if any, on getting this formula pushed through. I'd think Ferrari would have rather have more emphasis on the engine and less on the electrical power, but maybe they were over ruled.

[Gerhard Berger]

Just because we're a works team doesn't mean we are better at hybrids than Mercedes or Renault. We weren't better at EBD's.

Read what Allison said:

http://richlandf1.com/?p=17813

We knew about the hybrids well in advance. Domenicali should have hired the correct people for the engine department.

[shamim179]

Exactly, there have always been ups and downs. This IS F1 after all, the pinnacle of motorsports, the other teams aren't just soaking their eggs in the pool. It's not like Ferrari are up against a bunch of weekend racers. Ferrari always tries their best but sometimes your best just isn't good enough. I can only think of two season's recently, 2009 and this season, where the car has really been below par. The other years they were good, just not good enough.

Thing is Ferrari are on a downtrend. They've been on this downtrend since 2011 and nothing is showing that there has been a reversal of this trend. The situation doesn't seem to be improving despite our efforts and almost always we are incapable of solving our problems quickly enough. I'm not asking or expecting the team to be in a winning position all the time but we're just steadily getting worse and worse. You've got to take a neutral view on this and as a fan there can be an element of bias that clouds one's judgment here. I had better expectations of Ferrari this year and so did Ferrari themselves. And everyone else too. Our performance has been shocking this year. We started work on this project years ago - we weren't in position like Renault's where we started late and we're understaffed. We should have done much better than this. Unless we address our fundamental issues which I think for whatever reason still persist it is doubtful that things will improve. Nothing is suggesting that things have improved. But believe me I do sincerely want to be pleasantly surprised here.

[Kiwi Nick]

What Allison had to say ( http://richlandf1.com/?p=17813 ) is correct, so far as it goes. Being the maker of both the power unit and chassis is an advantage, but only when compared to the other teams using the same power unit. It is not a guarantee that the power unit will be better than another power unit.

This notion has proven to be true. Mercedes are the best of the teams using a Mercedes power unit and Ferrari are the best of the cars using a Ferrari power unit . I suppose that could also apply to RBR since they are arguably the closest thing to a works team that Renault has. So, yes, having power unit and chassis under the same roof is an advantage over those using the same power unit.

The real problem is that Ferrari just simply blew either the basic design or implementation. But, they are the best of the Ferrari runners. :clap

[M.K]

to look after my kid Stefano, to manage F1 team Flavio :lol


PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk · 34m
BREAKING NEWS: Flavio Briatore rumored to replace Stefano Domenicali at Ferrari. Ross Brawn also on the list. #F1 #Formula1



Be careful what You wish for....

[shamim179]

Be careful what You wish for....

No wonder he made these comments. It all makes sense now. I did have my suspicions. This man is extremely clever.

[Rishu]

This could very well be what Luca discussed with Alonso in reassurance meeting they held. Lol
On a serious note, not sure if replacing Domenicali would guarantee success but as Einstein said, expecting different result while trying to do same thing is insanity.

[RedPassion]

Yep,I think he is looking for employment.

[Nero Horse]

PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk · 34m
BREAKING NEWS: Flavio Briatore rumored to replace Stefano Domenicali at Ferrari. Ross Brawn also on the list. #F1 #Formula1


PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk · 48m
Montezemolo held meetings at Maranello and story is that Briatore was also present.

Luca di Montezemolo gave Domenicali until Spain to fix the problems.

Personally not a fan of Flavio, but if this is all true then something might be going on behind the scenes indeed... :Hmm

[Hermann]

Personally not a fan of Flavio, but if this is all true then something might be going on behind the scenes indeed... :Hmm

Oops...:Hmm

[gjoko-mkd]

Flavio is not good answer for situation at Ferarri

[Kyss4k]

Briatore is a dirty player... And right now, we need those.

[RedPassion]

Briatore is a dirty player... And right now, we need those.
Yes he is!im really sorry for Stefano i always believed he was the right one and i always stood behind him, but im slowly recognising i was wrong.

[shamim179]

So another last chance for Stefano? How many chances will he get? I don't think any team principal has had this many chances before.

I think Brawn would be the better option but does he want to work again for us? And he might be lured to McLaren-Honda in some capacity or another. Maybe Ron is just setting things up for a handover to Brawn?

[Kyss4k]

Well, Briatore stepping up on Stefano's place would at least stopped all those "Alonso to McLaren" speculation. :roll

[Hornet]

I would be very surprise if that's true, as Flavio have been out of the loop for some time now. Unlike say, Ross Brawn who oversaw the development of Merc's current power unit and car so he is up to date with the current landscape of the sport.

Probably just some random rumors created after the media saw Luca's reaction during the race, and now they are guessing Luca will be making drastic changes.

[shamim179]

Well, Briatore stepping up on Stefano's place would at least stopped all those "Alonso to McLaren" speculation. :roll

Maybe I'm wrong here but it just seems that this is to prevent Alonso from leaving. These two have a good working relationship so an incentive to stay. I think Ferrari are terrified of how much bad publicity they'll get if Alonso leaves because of poor performance. I hope this isn't to keep Alonso happy but if it is then it's wrong.

[shamim179]

Sometimes these rumors surface for a reason which is to facilitate the contractual process of working individuals. It can raise the value of an individual, it make parties think that the individual has more options when they actually don't, etc. Very dirty game this is but that's just how it is.

[Greig]

So another last chance for Stefano? How many chances will he get? I don't think any team principal has had this many chances before.


Maybe it's a rumour and not actually true?

[abbottcostello]

Maybe it's a rumour and not actually true?
Awww, come on Greig, you KNOW we can't handle the truth! We can tell exactly what LDM is thinking from one still photograph & use that to predict what's in the cards for the rest of this season, 2015 & even well into the 2016 season. And what more convincing do we need than a twitter from somebody named pitlanetalk to confirm these things.

[Stormsearcher]

In all probablity this is not true. However, if there is any truth in it, i would prefer Brawn rather than Flavio to replace SD.

I think both are effective in their own ways, and no doubt will bring about changes (most likely positive).. but i prefer the brawn route rather than Flavios. :-D

[Parabolica]

It would not surprise me.

Is it true? I don't know.

[Rosso Corsa]

pitlanetalk is not a credible source. It's just another weirdo on the internet.

[RedRebel40]

In all probablity this is not true. However, if there is any truth in it, i would prefer Brawn rather than Flavio to replace SD.

I think both are effective in their own ways, and no doubt will bring about changes (most likely positive).. but i prefer the brawn route rather than Flavios. :-D


+1

[Nero Horse]

pitlanetalk is not a credible source. It's just another weirdo on the internet.

Are you sure about that? I'm not questioning your opinion, I'm just wondering how exactly do you know that? Have they given out false info in the past or what's the deal with them?

[Winter]

That hot head Briatore would be bad choice. And he has been out of the game too long for just to jump in suddenly anyway.

Why not Mercedes style, Keep Stephano and bring Ross to his side and give them both some fancy titles?

[REDARMYSOJA]

If they are indeed looking to make a change at the top I'd rather not see a retread, like Ross or Flav. Luca needs to think outside the box like he did when he hired Jean Todt.

[Alesi1]

If they are indeed looking to make a change at the top I'd rather not see a retread, like Ross or Flav. Luca needs to think outside the box like he did when he hired Jean Todt.
Don't agree. No need to test unknown quantity when you have quality like Ross who is already I'm sure a bit cheesed at the fact that paddy Lowe is basking in Ross's glory now. Since 2009 the 'merc' team have created 2 rocket ships under his leadership. What have we done in this time. Bring Ross back sort the traction issues and give us some idea of where we stand with the PU.

[Kingdom Hearts]

Briatore is a dirty player... And right now, we need those.

There is a lot of dirt in F1 and Ferrari had his fair share of dirt in the past.

[Senna4Ever]

If they are indeed looking to make a change at the top I'd rather not see a retread, like Ross or Flav. Luca needs to think outside the box like he did when he hired Jean Todt.

:thumb :thumb

and at least announced revolutions never take place ... that's 100% percent proven concept ...

[anakin]

There is a lot of dirt in F1 and Ferrari had his fair share of dirt in the past.

Agree. Even think that every championship winning car is not 100% LEGAL.

[anakin]

They need to be clever beyond the rules. Not within the rules to be able to turn things around.

[zike]

Flavio is not good answer for situation at Ferarri

Luca wants an italian at the helm

[gjoko-mkd]

It is time for victories not for national tim. Beter for Ferari to bring some good and clever boss like Brown, rather than dirty like Briatore

[tifosi1993]

pitlanetalk is not a credible source. It's just another weirdo on the internet.

Yup. This pitlanetalk guy is even worse than Joseluisf1.

[gjoko-mkd]

Probably same guy with two different niknames

[windwaves]

Yes he is!im really sorry for Stefano i always believed he was the right one and i always stood behind him, but im slowly recognising i was wrong.

That is admirable.

[windwaves]

Guys, Briatore is not proposable for the many reasons mentioned in several posts here.

Consider that personally I am totally convinced that SD is the #1 reason of Ferrari going backwards since the dream team, nonetheless I would rather have his incompetence than a cheater, until we can find someone good.

Brawn would be a dream.

[ferrari4life]

we should make Ron Dennis an offer he can't refuse.. Bring him over man... The guy is king

[Tony]

we should make Ron Dennis an offer he can't refuse.. Bring him over man... The guy is king

He owns a considerable stake in McLaren though... so I can't see that happening.... but I wouldn't mind if Ferrari brought in someone like Briatore to act as a consultant....

[erikejw]

Don't agree. No need to test unknown quantity when you have quality like Ross who is already I'm sure a bit cheesed at the fact that paddy Lowe is basking in Ross's glory now. Since 2009 the 'merc' team have created 2 rocket ships under his leadership. What have we done in this time. Bring Ross back sort the traction issues and give us some idea of where we stand with the PU.

Yeah. 2009, new rules, Brawn GP dominantes.
2014, new rules. The Mercs dominantes. Brawn built both teams.
He knows what is needed and can take the tough decisions and be right mist of the time.

[Nova]

No one really knows what Luca may do..only Luca. On Brawn, I never wanted him or Costa to leave. Brawn was also very good at putting together the nec people in the proper places to insure things translated on the car, on the track..results.
Briatore? Well I dont know much about him other than him having a few good teams. Is he good? Does he put the right people in the right places? The rest of the things I read are simply opinions formed by people who dont know him and simply create an opinion based on racing tabloid news.
On SD, well, I want him to do good....

The above opinions are opinions based solely on my opinions. :-D

[bondilad]

Apr.11 (GMM) La Gazzetta dello Sport, the influential Italian sports daily, speculated on Friday that Ferrari could be poised to make a change at the top.

It has long been rumoured that Stefano Domenicali, the fabled Maranello team's chief, might not survive too many more disappointing seasons at the helm.

"(I) say to all those jealous people wanting this job: they have to fight for it!" Domenicali told F1's official website last week.

According to Gazzetta, however, 48-year-old Domenicali might finally be losing the support of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

Montezemolo left the Bahrain circuit last Sunday part-way through the Grand Prix, declaring that watching "slow" Ferraris gave him "great pain".

Now, at an event at the Ferrari museum in Maranello on Friday, Montezemolo reportedly said: "I already know what you want to ask.

"My reply is that we will leave no stone unturned to be where we need to be. We will work day and night to improve and make the decisions that we need to take."

Wondered Gazzetta correspondent Andrea Tosi: "(Will there be) changes at the top of the Gestione Sportiva?"

montezemolo hints Ferrari 'decisions' looming

[ferrari4life]

I like the idea of bringing in someone completely new to the game. Someone said it a few posts ago. The only way to beat this slide is some fresh talent some new blood that is eager to proove something.

[windwaves]

Meanwhile some interpret LdM comments today at an event as suggesting changes on top. Pure speculation yes. He says Ferrari will work super hard to improve and will make the decisions they need to make … (from Gazzetta dello Sport)

Most shocking is SD comments from a couple of days ago when responding to questions regarding his survival after another disappointing season: "(I) say to all those jealous people wanting this job: they have to fight for it!". Can you believe this guy ? Had he had any morale decency he should have resigned years ago. Get out and let Ferrari return to its glory !!!!

[Rookie]

I've always stated before way back that Ferrari will never win another championship as long as Stefano is at the helm and year in and year out since 2008 that has always been the case. I know we still will not win immediately but I've noticed since the Massa bungled pitstop in singapore last 2008 that this guys management skill are severely lacking and that Luca has made a terrible error making him the Head at Ferrari. As head of the team the buck stops with him and in all honestly all he does is say we will fight another day but sadly more than 5 years it is still the same old story. He really needs to go...

[Mile123]

I think SD should be replaced immediately!! If we can get Brawn or Briatore, good. If not, take the next best thing (maybe the new talent mentioned above) and go for it! This season is already lost anyhow in terms of the WDC and WCC, and fight for the second best is not important at all, given the circumstances!

In other words, Stefano=no performance improvement

[Bertie]

I think SD should be replaced immediately!! If we can get Brawn or Briatore, good. If not, take the next best thing (maybe the new talent mentioned above) and go for it! This season is already lost anyhow in terms of the WDC and WCC, and fight for the second best is not important at all, given the circumstances!

In other words, Stefano=no performance improvement

For now I would like to see how the next 5 races go, if we do not see an improvement compared to the competition then I would have no problem with getting in a new TP and use the rest of the season to bed-in then new managerial structure.

[windwaves]

I've always stated before way back that Ferrari will never win another championship as long as Stefano is at the helm and year in and year out since 2008 that has always been the case. I know we still will not win immediately but I've noticed since the Massa bungled pitstop in singapore last 2008 that this guys management skill are severely lacking and that Luca has made a terrible error making him the Head at Ferrari. As head of the team the buck stops with him and in all honestly all he does is say we will fight another day but sadly more than 5 years it is still the same old story. He really needs to go...

could not agree more !!! I share the same thoughts today and historical :) Ferrari needs to get rid of this incompetent loser yesterday.

[wisepie]

For now I would like to see how the next 5 races go, if we do not see an improvement compared to the competition then I would have no problem with getting in a new TP and use the rest of the season to bed-in then new managerial structure.

Don't think now is the right time to be dumping a TP, so I agree with you, let's wait and see what the next few races bring and then focus on 2015 if we're still uncompetitive. By that time, our drivers may well have walked away too!

[windwaves]

well I tend to disagree. Better no TP at all than another hour under SD. He has done sufficient damage to Ferrari I suspect.

In fact I am changing my mind, I would even take Briatore now :)

[Mile123]

For now I would like to see how the next 5 races go, if we do not see an improvement compared to the competition then I would have no problem with getting in a new TP and use the rest of the season to bed-in then new managerial structure.

Compared to what exactly! If you mean to our recent competition - FI and Williams - then no thank you. This fact by itself is more then a reason enough for SD to go NOW!

[Greig]

Compared to what exactly! If you mean to our recent competition - FI and Williams - then no thank you. This fact by itself is more then a reason enough for SD to go NOW!

Did you want Todt to go when Williams beat us? Or Renault?

[Bertie]

Compared to what exactly! If you mean to our recent competition - FI and Williams - then no thank you. This fact by itself is more then a reason enough for SD to go NOW!

To merc and RB.

[Tony]

I'm curious.... for those wanting Domenicali gone, given that he doesn't work on the engine or aero, who is available in those positions right now that can help Ferrari? No other Team Principal will be able to come in and make a difference to the car either... So clearly what people are saying here is to get rid of Domenicali because he hasn't hired the right people that were available at the time that he was looking....

Given that, who is available right now (Aero/Engine) that can help Ferrari that has not been approached by Domenicali then?

[RedPassion]

Luca Furbatto- Designer
Marcin Budkowski-Aerodynamicist

[Bertie]

I don't want SD to go, rather I want Ferrari to make progress. He has stated that there is an aggressive development program coming if this works and we get better than great. If not then we may has well make a big change (if it will happen) mid-season rather than destabilising the team at the end of the season when all focus should be on 2015. This would allow who ever replaces SD to get to know the team, identify specific areas of weakness (not aero or PU but specifics) and implement changes without starting the following season on the back foot.

Given the recent wind tunnel build and issues with correlation in the past few seasons I think the whole team will be judged (by the very top brass) on how successful the in-season development is because now there can be no excuse.

[Mile123]

Did you want Todt to go when Williams beat us? Or Renault?

Hahaha.. Sorry but I wont even try to comment this comparison! Todt vs SD, apples and oranges...

[Greig]

Hahaha.. Sorry but I wont even try to comment this comparison! Todt vs SD, apples and oranges...

So did you want Todt to go when Williams beat us?

[Mile123]

So did you want Todt to go when Williams beat us?

OK since you force my hand! :))) Here it goes

Todt was hired mid 1993. Took over a loosing team, devastated by internal problems in all areas, from management to production. He immediately restructured the entire management within the team. The next year 1994, so barely after he took over, SF won a GP for the first time in 4 years. The year after 1995 he secured Schumi. In 1996 SF won twice and he hired Byrne and Brawn. 1997 and 1998 WDC skiped us by few points. The following 1999 by not so few. 2000 and onward, wont even go into it...

He left the team in 2007, when as far as I remember Kimi won the tittle, and hand over the team to guess who...

So mate what I'm trying to point out here (although it's more than obvious for most people) is THAT Todt got a team that was in a very poor shape and in 3 years they were fighting for the championship. In 6 years SF was unbeatable.

SD took over a WDC team in 2008. WHAT has happened since? He is currently in his 6 year and we look to be in the worst shape since the SD "reign". I see a negative trend here. DO YOU? :)

[WS6TransAm01]

OK since you force my hand! :))) Here it goes

Todt was hired mid 1993. Took over a loosing team, devastated by internal problems in all areas, from management to production. He immediately restructured the entire management within the team. The next year 1994, so barely after he took over, SF won a GP for the first time in 4 years. The year after 1995 he secured Schumi. In 1996 SF won twice and he hired Byrne and Brawn. 1997 and 1998 WDC skiped us by few points. The following 1999 by not so few. 2000 and onward, wont even go into it...

He left the team in 2007, when as far as I remember Kimi won the tittle, and hand over the team to guess who...

So mate what I'm trying to point out here (although it's more than obvious for most people) is THAT Todt got a team that was in a very poor shape and in 3 years they were fighting for the championship. In 6 years SF was unbeatable.

SD took over a WDC team in 2008. WHAT has happened since? He is currently in his 6 year and we look to be in the worst shape since the SD "reign". I see a negative trend here. DO YOU? :)

I agree. Todt took a crap team and made it great, SD took a great team and made it crap. Vast difference.

Thought Ferrari were defeated in the first years with Todt, we showed steady improvement. Ferrari has shown nothing but a decline since SD took over. Even after the 2000-2004 crazy era, and not counting 2005 because we got f'ed in the a by Bridgestone, in 2006 we were on the doorstep to another championship.

[Greig]

Todt never had one hand tied behind his back, or a sport with rules that made the grid so close. It's a very different sport now which most don't seem to take into account.

All I asked was why having Williams as a rival is assumed as being bad.

[Suzie]

I don't believe the Briatore rumours but if he took over, I'm afraid I'd be done with Ferrari until he crawled back under his rock again.
And never mind Stefano... could someone please explain to me what exactly Pat Fry has done?

[Nero Horse]

Thought Ferrari were defeated in the first years with Todt, we showed steady improvement.

Yea, agree with that part. When Todt took over in 1993 then under his management the team made big significant steps forward every year and we got steadily better and stronger with each passing season. It's actually really amazing to look back and think how the team's form changed from bad (1993) to...pretty good...good...great...to total domination (2001-2004). It took Todt 7-8 years to finally get there, yes, but at least there was visible progress being made every year, but now unfortunately the team's form has gotten from great (2008) to...good...pretty bad...bad...to worse (2014)...that's a sad fact, which is very painful and hard to acknowledge as a Ferrari fan. I don't know who's fault that is exactly, but it is a fact unfortunately. :-s

[Nero Horse]

Todt never had one hand tied behind his back, or a sport with rules that made the grid so close. It's a very different sport now which most don't seem to take into account.

Yes, that is a very good point. Todt never had the limited testing rule holding him back. In that time we could be running our cars 24/7 on Fiorano and Mugello, that is an important difference when compared to present day F1.

[Cheeseman]

I don't believe the Briatore rumours but if he took over, I'm afraid I'd be done with Ferrari until he crawled back under his rock again.

:thumb

[ntukza]

Is Briatore not banned?

[Winter]

Is Briatore not banned?

He was.. And should still be.

[Nero Horse]

Is Briatore not banned?

Not anymore, his ban was lifted two years ago.

[abbottcostello]

Briatore... no thanks!:-E

I still trust Luca, if he keeps SD I'm OK with that, if he needs to change, well he has a better idea than I could ever come up with.

[Mile123]

Todt never had one hand tied behind his back, or a sport with rules that made the grid so close. It's a very different sport now which most don't seem to take into account.

All I asked was why having Williams as a rival is assumed as being bad.

Be that as it may, to me this sounds like just another cheap excuse.

The sport is what it is today, like it or not, but the rules apply the same for all. Being successful means creating a wining concept within this rules. Being a good manager requires planning, developing, organizing and implementing all necessary processes to create such concept. SD has failed to prove that he's capable of this... And to be perfectly clear, if all/some of the other peaces within the team - Fry, Allison, Tombiazis etc - underperform, the final responsibility again lies with SD for he was the one hiring them or not firing them when needed, or was unable to create the right conditions to extract their full potential.

Anyway, I would love to hear bit more about what you mean by one hand tied behind SD's back!?

p.s. When was the grid so close? This year when we are 2-3sec behind Mercs or last year when we were constantly with a gap behind RBull which increased to c.a. 1 sec after the break? And so on...

[Greig]

Well you would call it a cheap excuse, but it is a fact that the sport is very different now. Stefano does not have unlimited testing, wind tunnel use etc as Todt did.

You could tell us what Stefano has done wrong in creating a condition for people to use their full potential? How do you know we are not getting the full potential from what we have and that the team infact lacks talent from the ground upwards? It's fine saying A is not performing well enough but if B who is better does not want to join Ferrari then what is Stefano going to do about it? Considering Stefano has hired Alonso and Kimi suggests he more than willing to bring in talent when it's possible no?

Maybe if you can tell us who is better than what we have and why Ferrari have not hired them then your point won't seem so cheap.

[Hornet]

The sport is what it is today, like it or not, but the rules apply the same for all. Being successful means creating a wining concept within this rules.


Although the rules are same for everyone, they are intentionally design to restrict the advantages bigger teams like Ferrari had in the past. Back in the Schumi glory days, the team had the freedom to use everything Ferrari could afford to do, we could send all our drivers and test drivers out to test as much as we wanted, do whatever it takes to make a fast car. So long as our car meet the technical rules, we can take any approach we want to make that car. That means we can take advantage of our strength and minimize the effect of our weakness.

Now it's different. What approach we can take to building a car is very restricted, we have rules that dictate how much testing you can do, how much wind tunnel and CFD usage you can have, etc. If that's not bad enough, these changes were introduced bit by bit every year.

So if you think about it, not only the goal post is smaller now, it's a moving goal post as well. It's many times more difficult now to achieve success.

[ntukza]

Well you would call it a cheap excuse, but it is a fact that the sport is very different now. Stefano does not have unlimited testing, wind tunnel use etc as Todt did.

You could tell us what Stefano has done wrong in creating a condition for people to use their full potential? How do you know we are not getting the full potential from what we have and that the team infact lacks talent from the ground upwards? It's fine saying A is not performing well enough but if B who is better does not want to join Ferrari then what is Stefano going to do about it? Considering Stefano has hired Alonso and Kimi suggests he more than willing to bring in talent when it's possible no?

Maybe if you can tell us who is better than what we have and why Ferrari have not hired them then your point won't seem so cheap.

So Greig are you blaming Stefano, his subordinates, or the rules; or are you simply accepting the situation as it is and hoping for things to improve with the passing of time?

[paneristi]

all is fair in war.
just wondering: are you saying that the whole FIA is trying to punish Ferrari alone? or, including the big teams, such as Mercedes? Or, in other words: Ferrari is helpless without testing?
Ferrari perhaps has the largest supporters in F1, and punishing Ferrari is like committing suicide for FIA in F1, killing their own business.
If testing is the only thing we can do, then I must say we are one stubborn team that does not want to accept the reality that others can do well without testing. Ross Brawn was in our dream team, but he succeeded in the test-ban era. Newey has been there before the test-ban, and still can create winning cars.
Aldo Costa was declared too conservative, and yet he creates competitive engine, be him the technical boss or not.
The fact that we are adopting the wrong strategy and we are simply not too capable of organising a competitive team are too obvious.


Although the rules are same for everyone, they are intentionally design to restrict the advantages bigger teams like Ferrari had in the past. Back in the Schumi glory days, the team had the freedom to use everything Ferrari could afford to do, we could send all our drivers and test drivers out to test as much as we wanted, do whatever it takes to make a fast car. So long as our car meet the technical rules, we can take any approach we want to make that car. That means we can take advantage of our strength and minimize the effect of our weakness.

Now it's different. What approach we can take to building a car is very restricted, we have rules that dictate how much testing you can do, how much wind tunnel and CFD usage you can have, etc. If that's not bad enough, these changes were introduced bit by bit every year.

So if you think about it, not only the goal post is smaller now, it's a moving goal post as well. It's many times more difficult now to achieve success.

[ntukza]

Although the rules are same for everyone, they are intentionally design to restrict the advantages bigger teams like Ferrari had in the past. Back in the Schumi glory days, the team had the freedom to use everything Ferrari could afford to do, we could send all our drivers and test drivers out to test as much as we wanted, do whatever it takes to make a fast car. So long as our car meet the technical rules, we can take any approach we want to make that car. That means we can take advantage of our strength and minimize the effect of our weakness.

Now it's different. What approach we can take to building a car is very restricted, we have rules that dictate how much testing you can do, how much wind tunnel and CFD usage you can have, etc. If that's not bad enough, these changes were introduced bit by bit every year.

So if you think about it, not only the goal post is smaller now, it's a moving goal post as well. It's many times more difficult now to achieve success.

Well, we need someone who can achieve success under the current conditions, and Stefano does not seem to be that person. In any event, a great leader can achieve success in any set of conditions, e.g. Ross Brawn.

[ntukza]

The fact that we are adopting the wrong strategy and we are simply not too capable of organising a competitive team are too obvious.

Agreed. Like focusing on reliability under the false assumption that it will be the leading criteria, while Merc and Red Bull deliver a fast AND reliable car. So much for half the field not finishing races. We're in a sad state.

[Mile123]

Well you would call it a cheap excuse, but it is a fact that the sport is very different now. Stefano does not have unlimited testing, wind tunnel use etc as Todt did.

You could tell us what Stefano has done wrong in creating a condition for people to use their full potential? How do you know we are not getting the full potential from what we have and that the team infact lacks talent from the ground upwards? It's fine saying A is not performing well enough but if B who is better does not want to join Ferrari then what is Stefano going to do about it? Considering Stefano has hired Alonso and Kimi suggests he more than willing to bring in talent when it's possible no?

Maybe if you can tell us who is better than what we have and why Ferrari have not hired them then your point won't seem so cheap.

It seems to me that our understanding of what the situation is in Ferrari today couldn't be more different.

Mine is that we are at a stage far beyond analyzing why SD did or didn't do something/anything. And I sure as hell don't want to know what “Stefano is going to do about“ anything anymore. What ever it is, too little too late.

Yours on the other hand sounds like ignoring the facts and intentionally or not trying to create a different reality. An elephant-in-the-room syndrome if you will.

You even went to promoting that SD was more than willing to bring in talent etc etc. This is not an issue of will though, it is a question of being capable to manage the team in a way that will get the results. At last, I'm sure all TPs are willing to be in charge of a winning team, but only the best few actually know how to create such team.

Finally, when did I say the team lacked talent from the ground upwards. If you could show me where I said this, I'd be very grateful. Until then your words are nothing but a mere misconception, to put it lightly..

[Mile123]

So Greig are you blaming Stefano, his subordinates, or the rules; or are you simply accepting the situation as it is and hoping for things to improve with the passing of time?
+1

[Mile123]

The fact that we are adopting the wrong strategy and we are simply not too capable of organising a competitive team are too obvious.

Exactly !!

[NasI]

You SD haters and Ferrari lovers :(. Can you imagine that within a family the children can blame the parents for not giving water instant of milk. with all the respect to this forum and to you it looks you are not seeing the big picture.F1 is a game and in this game has many actors and every actor has its share this is part of the sport. You are blaming Stefano for not giving results to the team when Ferrari was the only team to challenge RBR. Underground talks mad RBR champion not within the rules and all the teams accepted it and was not Stefano's fault it was just politics. Welcome to the show.

[Mile123]

You SD haters and Ferrari lovers :(. Can you imagine that within a family the children can blame the parents for not giving water instant of milk. with all the respect to this forum and to you it looks you are not seeing the big picture.F1 is a game and in this game has many actors and every actor has its share this is part of the sport. You are blaming Stefano for not giving results to the team when Ferrari was the only team to challenge RBR. Underground talks mad RBR champion not within the rules and all the teams accepted it and was not Stefano's fault it was just politics. Welcome to the show.

You conspiracy theorists prone to family associations :)

What underground force made the Mercs so dominant this season?

Welcome to reality.

[paneristi]

not being an SD hater; it's the view of reality
deep down, this is still business; their (the employees') loyalty is based on that (quoting Michael Corleone). Massa was very loyal albeit a little inconsistent after his tragedy. Why let him go? Children-parent relationship? Kimi was a step-son in 2008?
I thought last year Mercedes snatched the second WCC point instead of Ferrari?
We all love politics; even the way we teach sex education to our children can be political



You SD haters and Ferrari lovers :(. Can you imagine that within a family the children can blame the parents for not giving water instant of milk. with all the respect to this forum and to you it looks you are not seeing the big picture.F1 is a game and in this game has many actors and every actor has its share this is part of the sport. You are blaming Stefano for not giving results to the team when Ferrari was the only team to challenge RBR. Underground talks mad RBR champion not within the rules and all the teams accepted it and was not Stefano's fault it was just politics. Welcome to the show.

[Hornet]

all is fair in war.
just wondering: are you saying that the whole FIA is trying to punish Ferrari alone? or, including the big teams, such as Mercedes? Or, in other words: Ferrari is helpless without testing?
Ferrari perhaps has the largest supporters in F1, and punishing Ferrari is like committing suicide for FIA in F1, killing their own business.
If testing is the only thing we can do, then I must say we are one stubborn team that does not want to accept the reality that others can do well without testing. Ross Brawn was in our dream team, but he succeeded in the test-ban era. Newey has been there before the test-ban, and still can create winning cars.
Aldo Costa was declared too conservative, and yet he creates competitive engine, be him the technical boss or not.
The fact that we are adopting the wrong strategy and we are simply not too capable of organising a competitive team are too obvious.

I wouldn't say Ferrari is specifically targeted although the changes started after the few years we dominated. It's a combination of trying to make the grid closer in terms of performance, as well as other two major focus in recent years which is to reduce the cost, as well as shfiting the sport's technology towards efficiency-focused and "green" approach.

All I'm saying is all of these changes makes it more difficult to compete today then it was during Schumi years, so the challenges our current team faces today is different.

As for Aldo Costa which I've seen being brought up often, well, who knows how much of a factor he has played in Merc success. We have to remember that this is actually the first time Merc has been this successful, the past 4 years belong to Red Bull. And if Costa did changed, who knows maybe being fired from Ferrari forced him to change and had he remain in Ferrari, he may not have changed his approach. If being fired change him, then there's nothing we can do about that.


Well, we need someone who can achieve success under the current conditions, and Stefano does not seem to be that person. In any event, a great leader can achieve success in any set of conditions, e.g. Ross Brawn.

That's true, but we have to ask how much of an influence the team leader have on the end result. If for example, we say the team leader is fully responsible for the end result, then why Red Bull wasn't able to continue their success this year, or why Mercedes wasn't as successful in previous years. Same goes for the other team. A major rule change and the grid order was flipped around. This tells me that the success we achieve isn't always 100% within the control of the people who run the team. Sometimes no matter how good they are, there are things that are beyond their control and these things influence the outcome.

I can understand why many people are calling for a change in the team leader, leaders are generally perceived as the man in charge of a group of people, hence responsible for the "destiny" of the team. But F1 is a really complicated sports and I don't think that perception holds true here.

[Mile123]

I wouldn't say Ferrari is specifically targeted although the changes started after the few years we dominated. It's a combination of trying to make the grid closer in terms of performance, as well as other two major focus in recent years which is to reduce the cost, as well as shfiting the sport's technology towards efficiency-focused and "green" approach.

All I'm saying is all of these changes makes it more difficult to compete today then it was during Schumi years, so the challenges our current team faces today is different.

As for Aldo Costa which I've seen being brought up often, well, who knows how much of a factor he has played in Merc success. We have to remember that this is actually the first time Merc has been this successful, the past 4 years belong to Red Bull. And if Costa did changed, who knows maybe being fired from Ferrari forced him to change and had he remain in Ferrari, he may not have changed his approach. If being fired change him, then there's nothing we can do about that.



That's true, but we have to ask how much of an influence the team leader have on the end result. If for example, we say the team leader is fully responsible for the end result, then why Red Bull wasn't able to continue their success this year, or why Mercedes wasn't as successful in previous years. Same goes for the other team. A major rule change and the grid order was flipped around. This tells me that the success we achieve isn't always 100% within the control of the people who run the team. Sometimes no matter how good they are, there are things that are beyond their control and these things influence the outcome.

I can understand why many people are calling for a change in the team leader, leaders are generally perceived as the man in charge of a group of people, hence responsible for the "destiny" of the team. But F1 is a really complicated sports and I don't think that perception holds true here.

Let's say you are right for the sake of the argument... What would you suggest then? What SF should do to improve the current negative performance trend?

[paneristi]

Then why not go green? Others can. Why can't we?
Nobody knows about Aldo's work. Not me, not you. Only Aldo and the insider. Considering Aldo has been around for quite some times, he should be able to read the situation better than any of us. However, the fact remains that when he was with us, we were subpar. Now he left, and we still have subpar performance, if not worse. And he was on podium last week, I wonder if he's done small portion only at Mercedes
Good illustration below



I think you have all seen this:

http://www.slideshare.net/apanitsch/the-management-rowing-race

I wouldn't say Ferrari is specifically targeted although the changes started after the few years we dominated. It's a combination of trying to make the grid closer in terms of performance, as well as other two major focus in recent years which is to reduce the cost, as well as shfiting the sport's technology towards efficiency-focused and "green" approach.

All I'm saying is all of these changes makes it more difficult to compete today then it was during Schumi years, so the challenges our current team faces today is different.

As for Aldo Costa which I've seen being brought up often, well, who knows how much of a factor he has played in Merc success. We have to remember that this is actually the first time Merc has been this successful, the past 4 years belong to Red Bull. And if Costa did changed, who knows maybe being fired from Ferrari forced him to change and had he remain in Ferrari, he may not have changed his approach. If being fired change him, then there's nothing we can do about that.



That's true, but we have to ask how much of an influence the team leader have on the end result. If for example, we say the team leader is fully responsible for the end result, then why Red Bull wasn't able to continue their success this year, or why Mercedes wasn't as successful in previous years. Same goes for the other team. A major rule change and the grid order was flipped around. This tells me that the success we achieve isn't always 100% within the control of the people who run the team. Sometimes no matter how good they are, there are things that are beyond their control and these things influence the outcome.

I can understand why many people are calling for a change in the team leader, leaders are generally perceived as the man in charge of a group of people, hence responsible for the "destiny" of the team. But F1 is a really complicated sports and I don't think that perception holds true here.

[vcs316]

Although the rules are same for everyone, they are intentionally design to restrict the advantages bigger teams like Ferrari had in the past. Back in the Schumi glory days, the team had the freedom to use everything Ferrari could afford to do, we could send all our drivers and test drivers out to test as much as we wanted, do whatever it takes to make a fast car. So long as our car meet the technical rules, we can take any approach we want to make that car. That means we can take advantage of our strength and minimize the effect of our weakness.

Now it's different. What approach we can take to building a car is very restricted, we have rules that dictate how much testing you can do, how much wind tunnel and CFD usage you can have, etc. If that's not bad enough, these changes were introduced bit by bit every year.

So if you think about it, not only the goal post is smaller now, it's a moving goal post as well. It's many times more difficult now to achieve success.

Mate, even prior to the Schumi glory days or Todt taking over, unlimited testing was available. Ferrari did not manage to win even then.

It is not the rules that let you win (many keep saying it was unlimited testing alone that allowed us to win). It is a combination of rules & how you "cleverly" interpret them, personnel (drivers, designers, engineers etc) and most importantly the right direction (which comes from good/great leaders). That is what Todt, Brawn, Scumi (the dream team) did. It took them 4 years to get the WCC & 5 years to get the WDC. How did they do it? By improving year over year from 1996 to 2008 (thats 13 seasons). Ferrari averaged 7/8 wins a season (off the top of my head a season was between 12 - 15 races??) back then.

We are in the 7th (or 8th) season of Domenicalli as the TP and every year we have faltered & played catch up (without catching up!!!!) - at the start of the season, in-season developments or making erroneous strategy calls. Have we become too soft? Are we playing Mr. Nice Guy too much? I for one am gutted. How can FERRARI.. FERRARI manage to muck up so bad season after season?

I honestly do not & will not accept this argument of " oh rules were different back then, so now we don't/can't win". I love Ferrari and will continue to support the team but will not hide my disappointment or anger (if required) anymore. If SD has to go, he has to go. If hard decisions are required, they might as well take them right away.

[Rookie]

Everyone has valid points that F1 is a totally completely different sport from what it was nearly a decade ago. But like it or not Stefano has had the support of the higher up for so long yet he failed to capitalize on it. Had this argument happened in 2008 or 2010 then I would be the one to fold that maybe he can still turn it around. Isn't nearly 7 years enough time to prove that he has what it takes? Isn't it about time to see and find someone else who probably would have a different vision in leading the team? May it be Flavio or Ross a new person running the team isn't a bad thing if the current status quo hasn't delivered. At the end of the day it's the results are what matters. We won't win again anytime soon with the current state of the top even if it changes but maybe a change in the general management could atleast be a clean slate to start on.

[Hornet]

Let's say you are right for the sake of the argument... What would you suggest then? What SF should do to improve the current negative performance trend?

Well I can't possibly know how to solve it as I'm not someone who runs a F1 team, lol. But I certainly don't believe it's as simple as firing the guy at the top and throwing someone else into the middle of all these. The guy at the top isn't responsible for everything, he don't make technical decisions. His job is to manage the team, while entrusting the people hired to do their job. The problem with our performance doesn't look like a management issue, at least not from the outside. We are not winning not because the team is in a mess or there's fighting within the team, it's purely for technical reasons.

I do think we are over simplifying everything by blaming Domenicali. People simply expect the leader to magically do everything.


Mate, even prior to the Schumi glory days or Todt taking over, unlimited testing was available. Ferrari did not manage to win even then.

It is not the rules that let you win (many keep saying it was unlimited testing alone that allowed us to win). It is a combination of rules & how you "cleverly" interpret them, personnel (drivers, designers, engineers etc) and most importantly the right direction (which comes from good/great leaders). That is what Todt, Brawn, Scumi (the dream team) did. It took them 4 years to get the WCC & 5 years to get the WDC. How did they do it? By improving year over year from 1996 to 2008 (thats 13 seasons). Ferrari averaged 7/8 wins a season (off the top of my head a season was between 12 - 15 races??) back then.

We are in the 7th (or 8th) season of Domenicalli as the TP and every year we have faltered & played catch up (without catching up!!!!) - at the start of the season, in-season developments or making erroneous strategy calls. Have we become too soft? Are we playing Mr. Nice Guy too much? I for one am gutted. How can FERRARI.. FERRARI manage to muck up so bad season after season?

I honestly do not & will not accept this argument of " oh rules were different back then, so now we don't/can't win". I love Ferrari and will continue to support the team but will not hide my disappointment or anger (if required) anymore. If SD has to go, he has to go. If hard decisions are required, they might as well take them right away.

No one is saying Todt didn't do a great job while he was in Ferrari. But there's no guarantee we would still be winning today if we still had that same group of people in the team today. In fact we were not able to win in 2005 and 2006 despite no changes to the team. And it's certainly not Todt's fault. That's just the nature of such a technical sport, as it changes, different team will rise while others will go through a difficult period.

[vcs316]

No one is saying Todt didn't do a great job while he was in Ferrari. But there's no guarantee we would still be winning today if we still had that same group of people in the team today. In fact we were not able to win in 2005 and 2006 despite no changes to the team. And it's certainly not Todt's fault. That's just the nature of such a technical sport, as it changes, different team will rise while others will go through a difficult period.

Hand on heart, do you really believe SD is doing a great job? Aren't you tired of the "Keep calm" PR commentary for the past 5 years? You are right, there is no guarantee we would still be winning today with the same group; similarly there is no guarantee we would ever win with SD at the helm. Yes we weren't able to win in 2005 & 2006. We won 6 WDC in that decade. In 2006 the team embarked on a fantastic in-season development with Schumi driving like a maniac to claw back a deficit of 20/25 points (this is when there was a 2 point diff between 1st & 2nd place) going into the penultimate race of the season. In 2012, we squandered a 40 point lead to lose the bloody championship. Lets not get into ALO DNF due to no fault of his own, I could say the same for China 2006 & Brazil 2006 which would have seen the Red Baron add one more crown.

I do agree the sport has gotten alot more technical. But are we saying that Ferrari do not have great technical guys? If the ones at Ferrari are sub-par (not that we would ever know), why aren't we bringing in the best (we have buckets of money to throw around). Our difficult period has gone long enough (lets not aim for the 21 year record), if a team does not perform, the manager/team leader is questioned. He is given the chance to make changes (be it tools, resources etc). If it still does not perform after procuring the best tools & personnel, he is to blame. And that is exactly what happens in our every day corporate lives.

[Kiwi Nick]

It seems to me that our understanding of what the situation is in Ferrari today couldn't be more different.

Mine is that we are at a stage far beyond analyzing why SD did or didn't do something/anything. And I sure as hell don't want to know what “Stefano is going to do about“ anything anymore. What ever it is, too little too late.

Yours on the other hand sounds like ignoring the facts and intentionally or not trying to create a different reality. An elephant-in-the-room syndrome if you will.

You even went to promoting that SD was more than willing to bring in talent etc etc. This is not an issue of will though, it is a question of being capable to manage the team in a way that will get the results. At last, I'm sure all TPs are willing to be in charge of a winning team, but only the best few actually know how to create such team.

Finally, when did I say the team lacked talent from the ground upwards. If you could show me where I said this, I'd be very grateful. Until then your words are nothing but a mere misconception, to put it lightly..

You are quite right. But, the problems at Ferrari really speak to an apparent lack of synergy among the key players. Every year, since the end of the Schumi/Brawn/Todt era, the team have added and deleted individuals from the design and engineering staff. As a rule these changes have raised the level of talent in the team. Nearly every new face was an improvement over the one it replaced, or so we were told. This surely the most talented team in F1.

The problem is that Ferrari have an all-star team that performs like a mid-field team. Compare the results of Ferrari to those of Williams or Force India. Can anyone name the famous designers who put a very good car under Hulkenberg and Perez? Yet, Ferrari with some of the best, most coveted and highly paid talent in F1 struggle to keep pace, saved only by the talent of its drivers.

Stefano has been afforded the luxury of the largest budget in F1 and everyone's desire to work at Ferrari some time in their life. Getting the very best people to come to Maranello is not a problem. With that advantage he has managed to assemble a team that does not produce satisfactory results. The man with his name on these cars would never, ever have tolerated this.

In the post Schumi years, the Scuderia has wasted the talents of Kimi and Alonso. After his championship year, as the quality of the cars began to decline, Kimi was the scapegoat, replaced by Alonso, because the team thought that only a driver deficiency could account for their decline in fortunes. As good as he is, Alonso has not been able to deliver the desired result. Now comes the realization that it was the car that was in decline. In 2014, we have a new scapegoat...the new rules. Just a few months ago we were assured that the change to an engine dominated formula would play into Ferrari's strength. That has turned out to be hogwash.

So, what to do now? Find better drivers? No, unless you think you can find a better driver than Alonso. Hire more talented designers and engineers? I'm pretty sure Ferrari already have everyone they want, except Newey and Ferrari can't get him. Replace the man who is tasked with making everything work together? That would be Stefano. Wait for the pendulum to swing back Ferrari's way, because it always has, so why worry about bad results?

What would you do?

[Kiwi Nick]

Everyone has valid points that F1 is a totally completely different sport from what it was nearly a decade ago. But like it or not Stefano has had the support of the higher up for so long yet he failed to capitalize on it. Had this argument happened in 2008 or 2010 then I would be the one to fold that maybe he can still turn it around. Isn't nearly 7 years enough time to prove that he has what it takes? Isn't it about time to see and find someone else who probably would have a different vision in leading the team? May it be Flavio or Ross a new person running the team isn't a bad thing if the current status quo hasn't delivered. At the end of the day it's the results are what matters. We won't win again anytime soon with the current state of the top even if it changes but maybe a change in the general management could atleast be a clean slate to start on.

I am going to start calling Stefano "the Cat". But in two years he will have used up his nine lives.

[Kyss4k]

One thing. Remember 2011 British GP? Ferrari was the team (with their customer team Sauber) who could could stop the return of EBD. What did SD do? He, for "good of the sport" (his own words) let Red Bull and Mercedes use the EBD even though FIA wanted to ban it. Ferrari could easilly return into the championship fight, but Stefano acted too friendly. Again. If this is how he is leading the team, no good can ever come out of it.

[F1NAC]

One thing. Remember 2011 British GP? Ferrari was the team (with their customer team Sauber) who could could stop the return of EBD. What did SD do? He, for "good of the sport" (his own words) let Red Bull and Mercedes use the EBD even though FIA wanted to ban it. Ferrari could easilly return into the championship fight, but Stefano acted too friendly. Again. If this is how he is leading the team, no good can ever come out of it.

For me it was a good decision. You would be really happy if we started winning despite changing regulations in the midseason in our favor?? Sorry no thanks, i would rather enjoy when we do a good job and decent car

[Suzie]

Surely Luca would have had the ultimate say when it came to what Ferrari did under those circumstances, though?

[hogo]

I'm curious.... for those wanting Domenicali gone, given that he doesn't work on the engine or aero, who is available in those positions right now that can help Ferrari? No other Team Principal will be able to come in and make a difference to the car either... So clearly what people are saying here is to get rid of Domenicali because he hasn't hired the right people that were available at the time that he was looking....

Given that, who is available right now (Aero/Engine) that can help Ferrari that has not been approached by Domenicali then?
If we could answer this question, we could be TPs as well :D



Luca Furbatto- Designer
Marcin Budkowski-Aerodynamicist
send Ferrari your CV, sir! :)

[Mile123]

You are quite right. But, the problems at Ferrari really speak to an apparent lack of synergy among the key players. Every year, since the end of the Schumi/Brawn/Todt era, the team have added and deleted individuals from the design and engineering staff. As a rule these changes have raised the level of talent in the team. Nearly every new face was an improvement over the one it replaced, or so we were told. This surely the most talented team in F1.

The problem is that Ferrari have an all-star team that performs like a mid-field team. Compare the results of Ferrari to those of Williams or Force India. Can anyone name the famous designers who put a very good car under Hulkenberg and Perez? Yet, Ferrari with some of the best, most coveted and highly paid talent in F1 struggle to keep pace, saved only by the talent of its drivers.

Stefano has been afforded the luxury of the largest budget in F1 and everyone's desire to work at Ferrari some time in their life. Getting the very best people to come to Maranello is not a problem. With that advantage he has managed to assemble a team that does not produce satisfactory results. The man with his name on these cars would never, ever have tolerated this.

In the post Schumi years, the Scuderia has wasted the talents of Kimi and Alonso. After his championship year, as the quality of the cars began to decline, Kimi was the scapegoat, replaced by Alonso, because the team thought that only a driver deficiency could account for their decline in fortunes. As good as he is, Alonso has not been able to deliver the desired result. Now comes the realization that it was the car that was in decline. In 2014, we have a new scapegoat...the new rules. Just a few months ago we were assured that the change to an engine dominated formula would play into Ferrari's strength. That has turned out to be hogwash.

So, what to do now? Find better drivers? No, unless you think you can find a better driver than Alonso. Hire more talented designers and engineers? I'm pretty sure Ferrari already have everyone they want, except Newey and Ferrari can't get him. Replace the man who is tasked with making everything work together? That would be Stefano. Wait for the pendulum to swing back Ferrari's way, because it always has, so why worry about bad results?

What would you do?


Great analysis I must say. Thanks

I don't see us disagreeing about anything though. And if you read my previous posts in this thread, you'd have had a pretty good idea about what I would do.

Also, I think that in a way you answered your own question already, but here it goes.

We have a problem. Deficiency of performance, negative trend over the past 6 years. CHECKED

There is a lack of synergy. CHECKED

The individual talent level was well above the average during the entire period. The results however, completely disproportional. CHECKED

The starlet driver lineup is not happy although doing everything humanly possible, especially Alonso. CHECKED

SD as team boss had the luxury of having the biggest budget along with the "irresistible" Ferrari appeal and everything that it stands for. CHECKED

Ever since 2009 SD and the team PR were playing the blame game, outlining different external reasons why we are not as competitive as the best, with a constant promise of performance improvement year after year that never came. Our own internal mistakes and weaknesses meanwhile were being put under the carpet e.g. Abu Dabi 2010, data interpretation and correlation with wind tunnel, focusing on reliability instead of speed, chronic problems with poor DF and traction, staying calm etc etc. CHECKED

The end result> drop in performance. The final blow, 2014 start of the engine dominated era!

The most called upon position for this situation is the one of the team boss. The one "tasked with making everything work together". The leader, the captain of the ship if you will. We all know who this is. I'm sure he has the best interest of Ferrari deep in his heart. I have also no doubt that he had the will and the intention to do things different. Maybe if he goes back in time he would reverse or alter some of his decisions... Who wouldn't?!

But the question now is what is the likelihood for Ferrari to overcome difficulties and return to winning ways under SD's rule!? Can there be a significant change while he is still in charge?! Haven't he had been given enough chances to prove us wrong already!?

IMHO Ferrari suffers from a clear lack of strong leadership and good management. The sooner we make this change, the sooner we can get back on our feet.

[AfterLife]

Luca Furbatto- Designer
Marcin Budkowski-Aerodynamicist

I am not sure with Luca Furbatto but Marcin Budkowski was a real deal. Pat Fry tried a lot to bring him back to Ferrari but didn't succeed.

[Kyss4k]

For me it was a good decision. You would be really happy if we started winning despite changing regulations in the midseason in our favor?? Sorry no thanks, i would rather enjoy when we do a good job and decent car

This is exactly why we have no title after the influence of the old team vanished. We are too nice, not exploiting every oportunity, not pushing the rules.

But still, what the others were doing was not ok. FIA changed the rule to stop it, but they blew it and had to change it again mid season to achieve what they wanted in the first place.

There were changes mid season before and after and be sure there will be again. Winning is important, not the way you do it.

[Parabolica]

This is Formula One, not a Sunday School.

There is no trophy for being nice and decent.

[paneristi]

superb points. Well said :thumb



You are quite right. But, the problems at Ferrari really speak to an apparent lack of synergy among the key players. .... This surely the most talented team in F1.

The problem is that Ferrari have an all-star team that performs like a mid-field team. ....

The man with his name on these cars would never, ever have tolerated this.

... In 2014, we have a new scapegoat...the new rules. Just a few months ago we were assured that the change to an engine dominated formula would play into Ferrari's strength. That has turned out to be hogwash.

So, what to do now? Find better drivers? No, unless you think you can find a better driver than Alonso. Hire more talented designers and engineers? I'm pretty sure Ferrari already have everyone they want, except Newey and Ferrari can't get him. Replace the man who is tasked with making everything work together? That would be Stefano. Wait for the pendulum to swing back Ferrari's way, because it always has, so why worry about bad results?

What would you do?

[paneristi]

just had a very tiring day. This is certainly very entertaining comment :lol

This is Formula One, not a Sunday School.

There is no trophy for being nice and decent.

[ntukza]

You conspiracy theorists prone to family associations :)

What underground force made the Mercs so dominant this season?

Welcome to reality.

Reply of the week!

+10

[Red_Diamond]

LOL. If Kimi and Alonso think their talents are wasted at Ferrari, they know where the door is, heck
Kimi has already passed through it once so he should know the way.

If Ferrari make so many people depressed, surely it would be better for your health to support
another team?

Remind me again, keyboard warriors, the last time you stamped your feet with hysterics
to get Ferrari to hang a scapegoat (Costa, 2011) did it make a difference?

Briatore is a convicted cheat, Ferrari would not sink that low. Otherwise it would be the end of Ferrari.

[Bertie]

This is exactly why we have no title after the influence of the old team vanished. We are too nice, not exploiting every oportunity, not pushing the rules.

But still, what the others were doing was not ok. FIA changed the rule to stop it, but they blew it and had to change it again mid season to achieve what they wanted in the first place.

There were changes mid season before and after and be sure there will be again. Winning is important, not the way you do it.

Surely not. You don't agree with how Lance Armstrong went about the task of winning do you?

[Kyss4k]

Surely not. You don't agree with how Lance Armstrong went about the task of winning do you?

We are talking about a "legal" ways. But mentioning cycling... all of them are doping.

[NasI]

You conspiracy theorists prone to family associations :)

What underground force made the Mercs so dominant this season?

Welcome to reality.

I wander if you fallow this sport! I just give you the reality of the situation but you do not see it. Mercedes was the next force after RB to come to play it started last year with its test.

[NasI]

not being an SD hater; it's the view of reality
deep down, this is still business; their (the employees') loyalty is based on that (quoting Michael Corleone). Massa was very loyal albeit a little inconsistent after his tragedy. Why let him go? Children-parent relationship? Kimi was a step-son in 2008?
I thought last year Mercedes snatched the second WCC point instead of Ferrari?
We all love politics; even the way we teach sex education to our children can be political


Take it easy friend and enjoy the show. Take a drink and watch the game. Let SD alone if we all understand that deep inside all is random purposely arrangement.

[paneristi]

what exactly are you trying to say with this 'random purposely arrangement' thing? enlighten me
Take it easy friend and enjoy the show. Take a drink and watch the game. Let SD alone if we all understand that deep inside all is random purposely arrangement.

[Mile123]

what exactly are you trying to say with this 'random purposely arrangement' thing? enlighten me

I'm puzzled too..? :)

[paneristi]

I believe we are all entitled to support the team we think worth supporting, and that is the Scuderia Ferrari. Some supporters accept things as they are, some are not satisfied and think that things can be improved by offering suggestion we think worth discussing. We are all grown up and most of us have been in management or senior management team or chief level in large corporation long enough to offer that kind of suggestion which may be a bit hard for you to understand why leadership matters.
LOL. If Kimi and Alonso think their talents are wasted at Ferrari, they know where the door is, heck
Kimi has already passed through it once so he should know the way.

If Ferrari make so many people depressed, surely it would be better for your health to support
another team?

Remind me again, keyboard warriors, the last time you stamped your feet with hysterics
to get Ferrari to hang a scapegoat (Costa, 2011) did it make a difference?

Briatore is a convicted cheat, Ferrari would not sink that low. Otherwise it would be the end of Ferrari.

[NasI]

what exactly are you trying to say with this 'random purposely arrangement' thing? enlighten me

Better live it!

[NasI]

I'm puzzled too..? :)

Better live it!

[Red_Diamond]

I believe we are all entitled to support the team we think worth supporting, and that is the Scuderia Ferrari. Some supporters accept things as they are, some are not satisfied and think that things can be improved by offering suggestion we think worth discussing. We are all grown up and most of us have been in management or senior management team or chief level in large corporation long enough to offer that kind of suggestion which may be a bit hard for you to understand why leadership matters.

I would dearly love to know what kind of 'senior management' position you have ever held? Or in fact what makes you think
you're qualified to know who is the right person to lead Scuderia Ferrari? Apart from the usual suspects (prominent
media figures) do you have any inkling to the names of the other cogs in the Scuderia Ferrari machine? Faulty
or otherwise?

[paneristi]

Are you saying that I actually suggest Briatore as the right candidate? What makes you think of the 'unsatisfied' tifosi to root for other teams?
I would dearly love to know what kind of 'senior management' position you have ever held? Or in fact what makes you think
you're qualified to know who is the right person to lead Scuderia Ferrari? Apart from the usual suspects (prominent
media figures) do you have any inkling to the names of the other cogs in the Scuderia Ferrari machine? Faulty
or otherwise?

[Parabolica]

OK, coming from the left-field....

Chip Ganassi.

[Winter]

This is exactly why we have no title after the influence of the old team vanished. We are too nice, not exploiting every oportunity, not pushing the rules.

But still, what the others were doing was not ok. FIA changed the rule to stop it, but they blew it and had to change it again mid season to achieve what they wanted in the first place.

There were changes mid season before and after and be sure there will be again. Winning is important, not the way you do it.

Winning is important, not the way to do it? I definitely disagree on that. Bring on Briatore, if rules are made to be broken..

[Stormsearcher]

There is another question in all this "replace SD" chants... which is, not who will replace SD or should SD be replaced.. question is, who will want to replace SD?

Its replacing a man at the helm of a team that has the richest history in F1, with a fan base that are waiting to pounce on you for the slightest mistake, with 2 disgruntled (perhaps) but the best drivers in the grid and media pressure which i dont think any of us here will every imagine. Its not an easy job. And to jump into it at a time when the team seems to have made a slow start against an opposition that is simply killing the competition....

well, the job profile says it all. Now who wants to take over? :-)

[Winter]

LOL. If Kimi and Alonso think their talents are wasted at Ferrari, they know where the door is, heck
Kimi has already passed through it once so he should know the way.

If Ferrari make so many people depressed, surely it would be better for your health to support
another team?

Remind me again, keyboard warriors, the last time you stamped your feet with hysterics
to get Ferrari to hang a scapegoat (Costa, 2011) did it make a difference?

Briatore is a convicted cheat, Ferrari would not sink that low. Otherwise it would be the end of Ferrari.

I so hope you are right about Ferrari hiring Flav.

[Kyss4k]

Winning is important, not the way to do it? I definitely disagree on that. Bring on Briatore, if rules are made to be broken..

You have to be little bit dirty in F1. Why was RB dominating? All the time, they were at the very edge of the rules. Always some drama going on about their designs. How many times did you see that from us?

You have to push it and stand behind it. I would not be surprised if we did even put the ballistic shield around the turbo as other teams were complaining. For the good of the sport I guess...

[Alonso14]

There is another question in all this "replace SD" chants... which is, not who will replace SD or should SD be replaced.. question is, who will want to replace SD?

Its replacing a man at the helm of a team that has the richest history in F1, with a fan base that are waiting to pounce on you for the slightest mistake, with 2 disgruntled (perhaps) but the best drivers in the grid and media pressure which i dont think any of us here will every imagine. Its not an easy job. And to jump into it at a time when the team seems to have made a slow start against an opposition that is simply killing the competition....

well, the job profile says it all. Now who wants to take over? :-)

I wouldn't worry about that. TP of Ferrari is a dream job and this is F1, most of the people who work there are professionals who enjoy and thrive under pressure. If Ferrari shows faith in you that you can be the man (ie. offer you the positions of TP) it's a done deal - you have huge budget, talented individuals within the team and the facilities. Who in his right mind would pass the opportunity to be TP of Merc/Red Bull and Ferrari if he has the chance?

[Parabolica]

It is simple. The man who is concerned about making a mistake, the man who is concerned about the fans reaction, should not apply for the job.

I want someone who doesn't fear his actions.

[Winter]

You have to be little bit dirty in F1. Why was RB dominating? All the time, they were at the very edge of the rules. Always some drama going on about their designs. How many times did you see that from us?

You have to push it and stand behind it. I would not be surprised if we did even put the ballistic shield around the turbo as other teams were complaining. For the good of the sport I guess...

I know rules have to be pushed if you want some success, but pushing and breaking are two very different things. I want Ferrari to win, but still I rather lose with Stephano than win with Briatore. Flav is proven cheater and it would be just a sign of pure desperation if Domenicali would be replaced by him.

[Kiwi Nick]

One problem that Ferrari has is that for every potential TP there are 10 who wouldn't touch the Ferrari TP job with a 10 foot pole. Some see the TP job at Ferrari as THE dream job, while others see it as stepping into a cesspool.

[Kyss4k]

I know rules have to be pushed if you want some success, but pushing and breaking are two very different things. I want Ferrari to win, but still I rather lose with Stephano than win with Briatore. Flav is proven cheater and it would be just a sign of pure desperation if Domenicali would be replaced by him.

How did we get into breaking the rules? Steping up and saying NO to reverting back to EBD in 2011 (my original point) is not breaking the rules.

[Winter]

How did we get into breaking the rules? Steping up and saying NO to reverting back to EBD in 2011 (my original point) is not breaking the rules.

In that EBD 2011 case you are right. I just hate to see that some people are ready to change Domenicali to Briatore. If Sephano has to go and only option is Flavio, it's better to go without captain say I.

[Alonso14]

In that EBD 2011 case you are right. I just hate to see that some people are ready to change Domenicali to Briatore. If Sephano has to go and only option is Flavio, it's better to go without captain say I.

I agree, Flavio is the last man I want to see as TP.

But we all know that in any sport success conquers the hearts of fans with ease so my (our) opinion might change few years down the road if Ferrari get their act together under Flavio's management.

[diesel08]

I believe we are all entitled to support the team we think worth supporting, and that is the Scuderia Ferrari. Some supporters accept things as they are, some are not satisfied and think that things can be improved by offering suggestion we think worth discussing. We are all grown up and most of us have been in management or senior management team or chief level in large corporation long enough to offer that kind of suggestion which may be a bit hard for you to understand why leadership matters.

:thumb

[aroutis]

Todt never had one hand tied behind his back, or a sport with rules that made the grid so close. It's a very different sport now which most don't seem to take into account.

All I asked was why having Williams as a rival is assumed as being bad.Here's the thing. RBR has their hand tied behind its back too. Merc too.
Do you see them complaining? I guess not.
Work with what you have, it's how you succeed. Apparently SD has failed, it's really not an excuse. I really don't care for excuses, but I do care for results. And I do believe that JT would have succeeded even if the rules back then would be the same as now, because simply JT is just better than SD.
But I guess we cannot know this.

[Parabolica]

Stefano did not have his hands tied in 2014.

Maybe in 2009, but not now.

Excuses were acceptable early on after the testing ban, but 6 seasons is enough to adapt.

When the excuses dry up, there is just failure.

As the sign on President Truman's desk said...The Buck Stops Here.

[fratelliferrari]

We are talking about a "legal" ways. But mentioning cycling... all of them are doping.

Iam a cyclist myself and I really don't like your comment! It's very stupid to say they all use doping :-!

[Parabolica]

One thing to remember is that everything in F1 is legal until we are caught.

Stefano knew this once, in Germany 2010.

Then, he showed leadership and took the right decision for Ferrari.

Unfortunately for the Scuderia, others have pushed the spirit of the regulations further and more often since.

If we had Hockenheim Stefano every week, we would have fewer reasons to look at alternatives.

[Kyss4k]

Iam a cyclist myself and I really don't like your comment! It's very stupid to say they all use doping :-!

Are you doing Tour de France things?

[vcs316]

Montezemolo vows 'no stone unturned' in hunt for F1 success

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has never shied away from uttering statements suggesting that an axe is about to fall at Maranello, and his latest claim could be seen as signalling the end for current team principal Stefano Domenicali.

With the Scuderia struggling to match the pace of any of the Mercedes-powered cars over the first three races of the 2014 F1 campaign, Montezemolo's frustration appeared to reach new heights during the opening of a new wing of the Ferrari museum in Maranello. Insisting that he would not avoid taking drastic action in order to turn the team's fortunes around, the Italian's comments have been taken as a threat to Domenicali's tenure at the head of operations.

"I already know what you want to ask," Montezemolo was quoted as telling journalists, “I would say to you that I will leave no stone unturned to get to where we need to be. We'll work day and night to improve, and we'll take the decisions that we need to take.”

Heading into next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari trails Mercedes – which has won each of the three races to date – by 78 points, and currently languishes in fifth place in the constructors' championship, sandwiched between Red Bull and Williams. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen finished only ninth and tenth in last weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, and the team has not won a race since Alonso's success on home soil in last year's Spanish GP. Its last world title came when it won the constructors' crown in 2008.

http://www.crash.net/f1/news/202160/1/montezemolo-vows-aposno-stone-unturnedapos-in-hunt-for-f1-success.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

[fratelliferrari]

Are you doing Tour de France things?

No I don't but I particilate in races in the Netherlands and I can tell you its a very tough sport!

[abbottcostello]

It seems some years ago Ferrari's upper management, under Luca, make a deliberate decision to shed their image as "the man behind the curtain" who was calling all the shots in F1, getting all the decisions on rules settled in their favor & being the biggest cheater on pit lane. This is my opinion only, not based on any fact I can point to, but based on the teams reactions to FIA rulings, etc.
When you've decided to take the high road, I think a lot of us fans look at it as Ferrari rolling over or being soft, and in reality it has taken away from the sharpness of the teams competitive edge! I think now may be a turning point for this philosophy by Luca & I think we may start to see more of an edge to the team overall.
Maybe a lot here will think I'm wrong & I very well could be wrong, but I would welcome a more aggressive approach right now.

[vcs316]

I don't know how accurate the below is:

PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk 5m
Ferrari are preparing for a big announcement today according to Autoplus. #F1 #Formula1

Link: http://blog.autoplus.fr/moncet/2014/04/13/remue-menage-chez-ferrari/

[fratelliferrari]

I don't know how accurate the below is:

PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk 5m
Ferrari are preparing for a big announcement today according to Autoplus. #F1 #Formula1

Link: http://blog.autoplus.fr/moncet/2014/04/13/remue-menage-chez-ferrari/

I don't know that website so I have no idea if it is reliable?

[Kingdom Hearts]

I don't know that website so I have no idea if it is reliable?

Makes no sense to me to announce a new team principal so soon, al least Montezemolo should wait to see if the Barca upgrades work. Maybe is not related to Stefano, maybe is new tech people coming?.

[Laferrari]

the man who is the insider from Ferrari (autoplus) is jean louis moncet ...journalist who has some friend in maranello.He said he believe it will be Brawn, not Briatore.If it is true , this will be the best news in 5 years.Brawn is a master and have some information about the rocketship from mercedes .

[Sianellen]

I don't know how accurate the below is:

PitLaneTalk ‏@pitlanetalk 5m
Ferrari are preparing for a big announcement today according to Autoplus. #F1 #Formula1

Link: http://blog.autoplus.fr/moncet/2014/04/13/remue-menage-chez-ferrari/

A couple of journos mentioning on twitter that Stefano has resigned.

[vcs316]

A couple of journos mentioning on twitter that Stefano has resigned.

This is gaining alot of momentum.. Loads of tweets saying SD has resigned!

[vcs316]

ESPN F1 ‏@ESPNF1 1m
Reports in Italy suggest Stefano Domenicali has resigned as Ferrari boss. More to follow...

[vcs316]

Formula 1 News ‏@Formula_F1_News 18m
BREAKING NEWS: Stefano Domenicalli has resigned as team principal of Scuderia Ferrari #F1

[aroutis]

Who is Mattiacci ..?

[vcs316]

F1 Madness ‏@F1_Madness 3m
Crazy! We are hearing reports that Stefano Domenicali has resigned from his position as team principal at Ferrari. More to follow. #F1

[crbassassin]

So does it mean that Martin Whitmarsh coming over to Ferrari?

[fratelliferrari]

Who is Mattiacci ..?

President of Ferrari in North America is the only thing I found on Google so far.

[Nero Horse]

So does it mean that Martin Whitmarsh coming over to Ferrari?

Oh please God, NO! Don't even joke about something as horrible as that lol. I'm gonna have nightmares now.