Ferrari 'a group of scared people', not a team, says ex-chief engineer Luca Baldisser

[fmatiasii]

Ferrari is no longer a team but a "group of scared people" afraid of being "fired in disgrace", according to former chief engineer Luca Baldisserri.

Ferrari's season has gone from bad to worse in 2016, having gone from expecting to challenge Mercedes for the championship to dropping to third behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship. The team has not won a race in 2016 and has made numerous strategy blunders through the season, most recently at the Japanese Grand Prix, while it also lost technical chief James Allison on the eve of next season's radical aerodynamic revamp.

"Unfortunately neither [president Sergio] Marchionne nor [team boss Maurizio] Arrivabene have experience in racing, a culture that the Scuderia of today has lost," Baldisserri told Corriere dello Sport in an interview. "They are no longer a team, but a group of scared people. There is a climate of fear. The boys don't take risks for fear of being fired in disgrace."

Team boss Maurizio Arrivabene caused a stir in Japan when he said Sebastian Vettel would have to "earn" a contract renewal like any other member of the team. Baldisserri thinks the team should do everything it can to retain the services of the German beyond his current contract, which expires in 2017.

"Raikkonen is doing better than in 2015, Vettel a lot worse ... It's important for Ferrari to recover him and to hold on to him, at least in the short term."

Since Allison's departure, Ferrari has reverted towards a McLaren-style technical operation headed by several figures instead of one over-arching boss. Mattia Binotto has taken over as chief technical officer, something Baldisserri thinks is the wrong position for the former engine chief.

"Mattia knows how to motivate people, he has great experience but he is not a technical director. He knows he cannot design a car and does not have deep knowledge of the chassis, aerodynamics or mechanical side. He would be a good team principal instead."


http://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/...ca-baldisserri

[vcs316]

I am afraid that its true. Pun intended.

[Warp]

Ferrari is hungry for wins and they work for the most successful team in history of F1. What do they expect? You can't keep your job, if you're not delivering results. Stefano 'Keep calm' Domenicali days are gone.

In highschool i had to push myself to limits because I was afraid of my coach.In present it happens with my job too. Im afraid that if I wont be able to deliver i'll loose my position and my salary..

[ALO]

a team in fear is like a driver looking in his mirrors, losing time in every sector & eventually crash & burn

[Brembo]

In highschool i had to push myself to limits because I was afraid of my coach.In present it happens with my job too. Im afraid that if I wont be able to deliver i'll loose my position and my salary..

I believe Ferrari will be lucky if Seb is willing to sign up again when his contract is ended. If he got replaced would the car get better? Would the gearbox extravaganza end? Ferrari is lucky to have Seb and Kimi for drivers, as much as Nico and Lewis are lucky to have the cars Merc is blessing them with so far! Just for the fun of it, switch Seb and Kimi to Merc this season and Nico and Lewis to Ferrari. Which drivers would be the WDC hopefulls? It seems to be everything @ Ferrari is a scary situation except for the drivers.

[REDARMYSOJA]

But, firing Luca was suppose to fix all of this. Is he going to have to come back and save Ferrari a third time?

[Hornet]

Ferrari is hungry for wins and they work for the most successful team in history of F1. What do they expect? You can't keep your job, if you're not delivering results. Stefano 'Keep calm' Domenicali days are gone.

Yeah, people said that many times about Stefano Domenicali. But look at where we are now. Are we any better?

[zike]

Yeah, people said that many times about Stefano Domenicali. But look at where we are now. Are we any better?

exactly, there was no fear when Luca and Stefano were in charge, and the result was the same.

I call this BS, Ferrari is bad at so many levels not just one

[NasI]

exactly, there was no fear when Luca and Stefano were in charge, and the result was the same.

I call this BS, Ferrari is bad at so many levels not just one

We are living in a time when F1 cars need more than one person to be successful. The problem with Ferrari team is that they still haven't found that group of people. The idea that, we can use what we have and build trust, its a fake one. We need people who are thinking and acting outside the box. If they do not do that, they need to see other teams. Your position in the team it is not secured from your loyalty, but from your efforts and productivity. There is not time for you to try and try and see if the idea that you have may work. We need people who know what they are doing and are acting within the time they have. In F1, time is gold!

[Nova]

I think the car looked better last race and will look even better next race.
This bunch of no names may be a pretty good group. N I dont think theyre afraid at all.

[Infi24r]

Yeah, people said that many times about Stefano Domenicali. But look at where we are now. Are we any better?

Ferrari nearly won two titles under Stefano. They were the modern golden years.

[FerrariF60]

Ferrari nearly won two titles under Stefano. They were the modern golden years.

yeah, and WHY you may ask yourself that we nearly won TWO titles under "spineless" Stefano??? if was NOT due to him, it was because there was still unlimited track testing up until end of 2008; ever since unlimited TRACK testing was BANNED, Ferrari seem to struggle every year since the rule changes in 2009, and teams like Red bull and now Mercedes seem to have a better understanding of the Wind tunnel and CFD applications.

whereas Ferrari almost NEVER get the car right at the beginning of the season and ALWAYS, ALWAYS playing catch up....THIS IS SAD BUT TRUE


so in other words, i am NOT getting any hopes up for the 2017 when the rules will change again

my motto for 2017 will be as always.....hope for the worst and pray for the best

[stefa]

Ferrari nearly won two titles under Stefano. They were the modern golden years.

The emphasis is on that NEARLY!!! That will be written in golden letters in the F1 history books. Everyone will remember that not the silver years we had with great MS!