I don't think this guy will be able to turn things around and if things keep going badly which it looks like there is a very good chance of moral is soon to follow. I can't see Alonso staying much longer if this season is as bad or worse as McLaren's was last year which it looks to be.
In my opinion you don't need racing experience to be a successful team manager. What you need is good organisational skills, be a motivator and understand the people you hire to do a job can actually deliver it. It is the job of the technical director to lead the technical route and then his supporting staff therein. What the team needs is to be left alone without the political interference from Ferrari hierarchy, Fiat meddling and sponsor understanding that they are with the right product. I am concerned also with Mr Fry whom in my opinion may have made a fundamental error last year whilst developing the package in believing that the championship will come down to reliability. Although important many predicted that fuel consumption would be the Achilles heel of Ferrari this year, it seems those are correct.
Exactly ! The essential is to be a good and strong manager. These individuals are able to go to supervise different sectors of activity without having any experience. Flavio Briatore, for example, has not prior knowledge of motor racing when Benetton put him in charge of their F1 team.
Reckon what Alonso said makes a lot of sense : Alonso says Domenicali made ?responsible move? in stepping down at FerrariJames Allen on F1 ? The official James Allen website on F1 // F1 News // James Allen on F1 ? The official James Allen website on F1 The Spaniard admitted, however, that he does not expect improvements to arrive quickly. Its not that in this race we will improve one second, because I dont think Stefano was doing the front wing or the rear wing or whatever by his hands, so probably we need to wait a little bit of time and see what we can improve and try to help all the team with the new people coming to make us a little bit stronger and try to get back some of the success from the past.
Word around the paddock in China this weekend is that Stefano Domenicali was not sacked, nor was it suggested to him by Ferrari or LDM that he should resign. The people who actually know him (rather than those on the internet who think they know him!), have said that he took the decision to resign on his own because he was no longer enjoying his life as the Ferrari F1 Team Principal, with all the extraordinary stresses that go with the job. (And lets be honest here, I highly doubt any of us on here really know just how much stress and pressure goes with the job of being Ferrari F1 team principal!). People who had actually spoken with him in the last couple of weeks have said that they could see a change in him and that he was no longer his usual happy go lucky self. Basically the job was breaking him and so he felt it would be better for both himself and the team if he stepped down. Lets be fair here, he's a nice guy! He was very open and very honest when discussing Ferrari's issues. I suspect we are now in for a much more secretive Ferrari and will no longer really know what's going on with the car or team. As for Marco Mattiacci, from what I gather he is a motorsport fan but not an F1 fan. My first thought is that he's a puppet Team Principal who has been selected to run the team by proxy for LDM. To be fair though, there wasn't really anyone instantly available. It may possibly be that Ferrari are trying coax Ross Brawn into making a comeback at Ferrari but I don't think he would be interested TBH. Briatore to Ferrari? - Pleeaaaase! The guy is as sleazy as they come and he would be far too distracted trying to get into Fernando's girlfriends knickers to concentrate on the F1 team! Newey to Ferrari? - NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! Adrian Newey's greatest pleasure in life is beating Ferrari! I believe his record for beating Ferrari over the years is better than anyone else's, including McLaren. It's his claim to fame in F1 and he's not going to give that up! Ferrari could build him a facility in the UK? - I feel comfortable saying that we'll see Lamborghini's rolling off the Ferrari production lines in Maranello before we see Newey working for Ferrari in a UK Ferrari production facility! For a start off, he's already said that he wants to design racing yachts next and Red Bull have pretty much had to convince him not to retire from F1 just yet to pursue that dream! As for Bob Bell, the latest rumour is that he has done a deal to join Ferrari and it will be announced sometime soon! (Of course, this is F1 and nothing is guaranteed until the guy actually turns up for work! - Just ask McLaren! )
Good points. Anyone who resigns and then spends two days debriefing the new guy commands respect. I liked him, no BS for sure!!! After the Senna enquiry I doubt Mr Newey would entertain anything Italian.
Good points. I think they are grooming MM to take over for LDM and having some F1 experience is part of the requirement.
