Are we in for a long Ferrari F1 drought?

My guess is YES (unfortunately)

Not only has Mercedes dominated for years and years but it looks like RB has caught or even slightly passed Ferrari with the Honda engine.

They no longer are just fighting Mercedes anymore and I really don't see either of these companies slowing down. McLaren actually is doing pretty well with the Renault engine which we know is now where near Ferrari power.

Lucky for Ferrari Gasly is just a weak driver or it might look worse.

I don't see Ferrari becoming a mid pack team but their days of poles, straight out dominant wins, and championships are over for a long time. Maybe until the new engine specs.

This was supposed to be "their year" -- and it's gone backwards since preseason testing. Not a good sign.

 

Unfortunately, I have to agree. Red bull have been able to somehow maximise their development every week, despite the testing ban. While we twist around like fish in a barrel, they come to the races prepared and improved

 

Yes - its been how many years now ????

 

12 years since Raikkonen's title, no ?

 

We need a rock concert to feed Ferrari lol.

 

Yes I think so. They have a great engine now but the chassis and aero are subpar at best.

Sadly I don't think either chassis or aero department is up to scratch against red bull or Mercedes.

So whilst 2021 offers an opportunity, Ivd got my doubts they'll be there to take it

 

Until management is in place to optimize the technical efforts - we get substandard performance as a team.

 

Not to mention Ferrari top management and team strategy.

 

I ask myself if they even really care.

They make sh*tloads of money - more than ever before in the company's history. So why bother?

 

Same here.
As long as they stay among the leaders in F1, they are happy.
Sporadic wins are enough for that, and the Scuderia is always in the news.
It's probably the most famous about brand in motor racing, and any publicity is good publicity.

 

Max would deliver a gain with the Tier 2 car, but would still need some decent team management to win consistently.

Ferrari may be waiting until '21 given the dominance of Mercedes and the prowess of Verstappen.

 

I wouldn’t bet against winning tomorrow. Cheer up! If it wasn’t for the tyres we would have had a good shot this year.

 

Ferrari has spent much of the last few seasons "going backwards".

Well, not so much going backwards as not keeping up as others progress.
Ferrari is too much "fire and forget" -- they lack the ability to adapt.
(IMO)

 

Ferrari should have won in Bahrain and Canada. Maybe Germany if leclerc didn’t beach it. Austria showed that Ferrari have problems with the Pirelli, especially the medium. MB has been tight with Pirelli and RB always had a great chassis which the low speeds at Hungary manifest. On the fastest sector in Hungary both Ferrari were smoking the competition; the choice to have less downforce in this year’s package was silly and is coming back to bite them. They need a top chassis man which they haven’t had since Rory Byrne. Allison sadly left as he couldn’t live in Italy after his wife tragically passed and I think he would have been great over time.

If Pirelli would provide a tire with a wide operating range and durability then all of the teams and fans would benefit.

 

I think there was hope of battling with Mercedes so long as the Ferrari engine continued to improve. But the engine performance gap to Merc has not closed much, if at all. And, now Honda seems to be drawing level with Ferrari. Add that to the superiority of the Red Bull chassis and it looks like it will become a two team race, at least until the rules change. Needless to say, Ferrari is not one of the two.

 

Adrian Newey for Vettel. Otherwise,yes, enjoy the lower step of the podium for years.

 

Nothing is going to change unless they rethink their approach to F1. They are unwilling to learn from their mistakes and fix them. How many years has the pitwall been a joke with no fixes even attempted? They've screwed over Leclerc in almost every single race, and they still favor Vettel. Top teams consistently make good decisions. Ferrari consistently make bad decisions.

 

The strategy and management are the biggest weaknesses that do not seem to be getting fixed, Ferrari have it seems the best engine in F1 but is squandered with a poor chassis and bizarre aero concept, throw in inept pitwall decisions and the need to massage Vettel's ego and Voila - poor results. It is clear Chuck already has the measure of Vettel, the team should now be developing Chuck and finding him a new team mate.

 

Your asking them to consider a sensible performance based approach - similar to Mercedes. Clearly not something under consideration thus far. A nice summary you provide!

 

The age of Honda dominance has arrived. I surmise the next 4 seasons will be Honda and Mercedes for the championship.

AND........ I KNOW I will get crucified for this one..... Vettel returns to Red Bull next season and could win the championship.

Go ahead, I can take criticism.

 

Don't be daft, Vettel is on his way out. Plus earns 30m plus. RB is all about driver development.

The F1 future is Leclerc and Verstappen.

 

The only Red Bull team Vettel can go to is Toro Rosso.

 

Vettel gave Toro Rosso its first and only win, Monza 2008. Not a bad idea.... PLUS they have Honda engines; correct?

 

Agreed about Honda perhaps, but not the Vettel bit; for me he is out of F1 soon.

 

They are a 2nd or 3rd tier team.