Luca di M: Fernando is asked to stop twitting about Ferrari

Did they just built him winners or did he helped them with a lot of testing to develop a winner?
I think the problem of the modern F1 is that the imput of the driver is getting less and less. With the ban of testing a driver mostly has to trust on the designers and their ability to built a theoretical fast car. Just look back to the Schumacher years, back then it was possible to win against a car designed by Newey because the car could be developed, today that is far more difficult. That was one of the reason why the comeback of Schumacher was less successful than expected and this is a fact "old" drivers like Alonso might have more problems to accept than young drivers who are used to that. It would be interesting whether Alonso could have made Ferrari win (like Schumacher did) without the ban, but I guess we will never know.

 

Yep, I think back then the driver had more responsibility for the performance of the car because he was actively involved in the car's development & testing program. Now all he gets is about 4 or 5 days testing before the season starts & some time on the PS3.

 

I agree entirely.
But other teams have had (much greater) success under the same rules.
As you point out the drivers input is now largely limited to on track work if the team delivers a dog there's only so much that can be done.

 

Someone told me in Austin that FA relationship with Ferrari is already totally broken and that hiring KR was to make sure that they have a lead driver once FA is gone. They felt next year within Ferrari will be a "blood bath".

 

To be honest, Schumacher kept his mouth shut in 2005 and 2006, despite not driving really good cars.

And to be honest again, Alonso talked BS even about Renault when they where leading both championships.

A great driver, Alonso, probably, but he always talks too much.

 

When there's winning going on its easy to ignore the whining.

The problem isn't Alonso's mouth.
Its Luca's car!

 

Agree.

But Alonso´s mouth does nothing but worsen the problem.

 

These strange things have happened in F1. Look at Senna going to the dominant Williams at the time only to have the rug pulled from beneath him with the banning of the tech that the car used.

This would be hilarious to have him back at McLaren.

Agreed. It is not respectful to the hard workers behind the scenes slaving to have the best car possible.

Yes, however Alonso cannot out Machiavelli Luca. It's an Italian game. They will have been aware of his tricks and prepared for them.

If he did that he might be out if F1 for multiple years as KR was. In Alonso's case it would quite possibly push him past his prime.

 

now 'someone' is credible source?

 

Alonso's mouth makes the car go slower?

If anything his speaking truth to power will endear him to the team.

One year can be explained away by a poor design. Two years by poor supervision.
This long and the problem is at the top.
Luca's culture of silence and denial is part and parcel of what's wrong with the team.

Bravo Alonso.

That being said Alonso may well be an inveterate whiner, but that's what the team needs.

 

Refresh my memory if I´m forgetting someone but I still have to see a team getting better with his driver whining all the time. Usually it´s the opposite: people gets angry and the quality of their work is worse. I can tell you for sure that things at McLaren or Renault didn´t get any better when Alonso opened his mouth too often.

Of course, self criticism is necessary. But that´s not the same than public humilliation.

 

Well then, I guess we're in for more of the same.

You ever work for a boss who just doesn't get it and is running your division into the ground?
Either you quit, accept the inevitable or take your case somewhere or to someone who can effect the needed change. In this case it's the public arena.

 

But he can't stop Massa.

 

I really doubt that the big decisions at any team are based on what the driver says at TV. Probably there are many reasons for that, but an important one is that the driver doesn´t really know how the team works or how a car is made.

If the technical director said that he does not agree with this or that situation I´d take it more seriously, but after all the only thing that drivers say is "the car is bad", and that´s not a deep analysis of the situation.

 

I'm not optimistic the Ferrari will turn it around until there's a change at the top. Given the management structure that's unlikely without serious outside pressure.

Some drivers are better at car development than others. Some of the fastest are the worst in that respect. others, like Mark Donahue, excel at it. With today's telemetry driver feedback isn't as important as it used to be.

Team managers and other mid level team members are much more reticent to express negative opinions publicly as ther jobs are less secure than a driver like Alonso's is.

 

I´m pretty sure of one thing: the problems Ferrari has are not going to be solved by Alonso. The only thing he can do is keep driving hard.

Not happy? Then drivers only can do two things: look for a job elsewhere or buy their own team. In these times, I think that the second option is not possible.

 

As the star he can motivate the team
Either by cheering them on or failing that giving them a swift kick in the proverbial keister.

 

But that could be done behind closed doors, couldn´t be?

Or maybe it´s just the proverbial "hey, listen everybody, it´s not me, it´s the car"? If I was given a cent each time a driver says that...

 

Do you really think that Alonso is motivating the team??? Is that why he was asked to stop twitting because they fear to get over-motivated???

 

I am with Luca on this one. Just think Hamilton felt he had to leave McLaren because it was too corporate and Webber just deleted all his negative views on Red Bull from his site. Ferrari is behind its rivals even on this and for how much I like Alonso, he was damaging the brand.

 

Exactly!

We have now reached such a level of technology in F1, that the most important people are the technical team. It's the designers and engineers who create the cars and develop them.

With all the date logging going on, the simulators and so on, the input of the driver in giving direction is much reduced. Also the role of the driver has been very much reduced with the limit on testing. No driver, how brave or skilled he is, can overcome the design flaws of a car; only development engineers can do that.

Good drivers who know how to win, cannot compete on equal terms with the best if the car under them isn't up to the job; look at Alonso, Button for example.

If Ferrari produces a dog next year, Alonso and Raikkonen are doomed.

 

There's nothing more harmful to the brand (if that's a real issue) than losing!

Is there anyone who thinks that the best thing about this year's effort hasn't been Alonso?
Anyone think that Ferrari produced a car that was on par with the RB?
At times even the Lotus or the MB had its measure.

Alonso is not the problem.

 

The real "problem" is Newey

He should start an automotive company

Everybody outside Red Bull would look so much better without him

 

Perhaps the solution is Newey as well.