Binotto is losing credibility by the day! He may have been a good engineer, but he is useless as a team manager. At present, Ferrari is 2nd, 86pts behind Mercedes in the WCC, and Vettel is ... 4th in the WDC, behind Verstappen !!!
Ferrari really messed up this year as a team. 2017 and 2018 were missed opportunities. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
I really haven't noticed much difference in F1 since the 70s. It's always been a parade. I think a lot of the comments here would be different if Ferrari were winning. They went 21 years w/o a WDC from 79 to 2000. It's not unusual that they suck. There problems started when the hired Vettel and will probably continue until they dump him. It's not the rules. The rules are the same for all. Ferrari will probably with a race this year but no way the WDC or WCC,
The post wouldn't have been started " Can Ferrari win" There problems started when they let Brawn, Byrne, Todt and Martinelli go elsewhere. the internal politics kill Ferrari always has and always will, it needed a strong team manager such as Todt to act as the buffer and let the technical guys get on with it. There are some smart people in the team but the interference from within stifles creativity. I recall reading the book by John Barnard last year and Piero Ferrari and Harvey Posthelwaite were trying to undermine his technical directorship by building another car in total secrecy because they a) they didn't like his style b) they didn't believe (or understand) his technical direction, even the old man didn't know it was going on, when he (EF) found out he was merciless in sacking the culprits. Can Ferrari win - what? a race, maybe at the right circuit. WDC - no, WCC , no It needs the right management structure and drivers and that takes years to develop and for Binotto to admit they may have got it wrong is incredibly naïve bordering on stupid.
+1 Mercedes did nothing wrong - they have done all things right to win. So that is the point I think lol
Ferrari can certainly win again....and I know in a PC age this isn't a PC thing to say but only when they stop managing themselves like Italians!!! Until such time that they stop they are unlikely to win again!
I think the team is reasonably well represented internationally as is Mercedes which is mainly based in the UK! Whether we like it or not, the UK is the hub of F1 talent and imo there is a severe lack of experienced technical "geniuses" out there to turn SF around. Even Newey would take 2+ years and that's if the others sucked their thumbs for a few years. What the main board of directors need to realise is that being "Ferrari" doesn't entitle them to win and get massive receipts for basic failure. Any business that basically screws up like they do would be finished. Don't reward failure (not winning) but if you make a long term investment then make sure you select the right man for the job. Whats the point of keep hiring and firing the team managers because the results don't go the intended way when the management should be fired for keep selecting the wrong guy. I guess eventually they will get it right!
Ferrari will win multiple races this year, 2 definitely, outside chance of 4 is possible if Max doesn’t steal one. Clean sweeps rarely occur, even the MP4/4 of Senna and Prost couldn’t manage it and those two were well out of sight after two laps of every race. At least ‘our’ car has proven the potential is there if the team can stay the hell out the of the way .
AS we saw in bahrein, there are tracks where Ferrari will be the car to beat...maybe Monza, or Spa or Suzuka, but will still whipe the floor with those muppets...
Using logic here only yields higher dose of pain killers lol I try to avoid good logic as you post.....keeps one in sanity lol
This does not appear to be 'management' willing to admit fault and get things sorted nicely. The Binotto words about the use of team orders are utter trash. That leads me to think they do not employ the strategic and organizational thinking yet to win other than through luck or precise lucky circumstances. The methodical approach and thinking does not ever appear in the press overtly.
Difficult for me to find faith Ross has in team running Ferrari but he does know more than most of us lol - https://www.planetf1.com/news/brawn-binotto-will-turn-things-around/
Perhaps we should extend the logic to team drivers and team orders, so we now have a sport of racing very fast cars (through constant meddling to improve the show) and the ultimate focus is the driver championship. Not a lot of credit goes to WCC in the media, and its very important to the manufacturer, but what is the sense of team orders. A vast proportion of "fans" follow the driver and teams are at liberty (excuse the pun) to select who they want to win against the desire of the viewers to see that the best man wins. Are all bets off if a team orders the lead driver through either luck or skill to step aside! Where is that a sport? As I have said before the whole farce has now become rigged in favour of who they want as champion. My bet is Bottas for this year because Mercedes have preordained him for the title.
Highly intelligent person and I was talking to him at Goodwood a few years ago, very interesting guy and has his finger on the pulse. As with everything in F1 its political and stifled because of it. It begs the question why delay bringing in upgrades scheduled for later on when you can make a huge step in one go. If its ready then use it, worst that could happen is you get confidence in that you are going in the right direction.!! "They are working hard, even bringing forward developments originally scheduled for later in the campaign, but still they come to the track and realise that not only have they not closed the gap, it’s grown"
A win is a win. Outright or due to competitor’s collision, mechanical dnf, long pit, incorrect tires, flat, safety car or crumb.
They certainly can’t win the championship and at this point I’m not sure they can win one race. We know LeClerc won't be allowed to win. So they’ll have to have some act of god for Vettel to win.
I do not believe Ferrari can win this year on merit. That ship sailed in Bahrain. At the moment, the team does not know which end is up and Mercedes and Red Bull will only improve.
