He was just starting his studies while I was on my Ph.D. for which I attended the university only occasionally. Little chance we would have encountered each other. Besides, he was following a technical curriculum whereas mine was more business related.
They yelled at me that line in St. Gallen because I parked with a license plate from Zurich. Kantoenligeist
Indeed. But I wont understand it. Romansch With a ZH plate, you just have to keep on driving until you reach the Southside of the Gotthard where there is the second part of Kanton Zurich....
I believe you're right. The issue with Ferrari was never Binotto, it was Ferrari itself, it's always Ferrari itself, as James Allison at Mercedes now clearly demonstrates. Something toxic with Ferrari makes it have fantastic people but still not function as it should.
Maurizio Arrivebene said a while back after "leaving" Ferrari said that most in the F1 dept. don't like to make decisions for fear of losing their job....hence the toxicity.
Blick's Roger Benoit has been calling Ferrari "the house of a 1,000 lies" for decades: Enzo didn't tolerate any nay-sayers and failure, so it created a culture of yes-men and "don't rock the boat". Add to that a bunch of rivalries Macciavellian style. A friend of mine used to work in their aero department and he had a few hair raising stories to tell. Yes, Ferrari should be winning absolutely everything given their resources but they don't. They had Barnard for crying out loud and screwed it up. The Michael Schumacher/Brawn/Todt era was a golden alignment of the planets. Hard to repeat. Meanwhile Kimi remains the last king crowned.
HE was the most toxic of all, he ruled by fear, he even tried to intimidate journalists when he did not like a question. He was the worst in recent years. Vasseur is having an excellent effect, he is a true racing person, no nonsense. He has specifically encouraged staff to push, to take chances, all are welcome in his office, he is actively working to improve the modus operandi, the structure and the culture.
I think Arrivabene tried the Enzo approach to include the journalists.....definitely different times of course. Yeah, it doesn't work.
That all sounds lovely. And not to rain on your parade, but: why was/is Sauber/Alfa such an abysmal failure? He didn't achieve anything with that team, which is why I was doubtful when he came to Ferrari. Hopefully you're right and he can turn the ship around. Just not holding my breath. PS: I grew up near Sauber's Hinwil location. My father knew Peter Sauber so my loyalties are with the team but I have to be honest. At least in the old days they scored a few points here and there.
Regarding Sauber not sure -he was doing better than they are this year though!- but at Ferrari he has already had an excellent effect, two wins this year, he got rid of strategy clown Inaki Rueda last year as soon as he arrived and replaced Charles' engineer recently. Pitstops are a lot better. Now the recent upgrade did not work well but that happens to all teams (Mercredes zero pontoon car anyone?) already in Budapest they had corrected the floor. Hopeful for this weekend!
Fred is the right guy for the job, even if he fails to being Newey...but i guess he can't bring him at gunpoint...or can he?
This is not over for hiring Newey. We are in for some serious surprises in September I bet.. Ps : Everything is possible when you realize Audi is replacing Seidl with Binotto!
True, like in horse racing I like backing a winner, and Hamilton was winning up to 2020. His form has gone down a lot since (same for Mercedes), and he is beyond his shelf life, IMO. I think Ferrari recruiting Hamilton was a publicity stunt. My favourite since has been Max who has been a spectacular winner, although he seems to have lost the plot recently. Who will be the next one, I wonder ...
Maybe this is a management team that will compliment each other..... https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wheatley-and-binotto-to-form-dual-management-of-audi-f1-team/10641159/ Wheatley and Binotto to form “dual management” of Audi F1 team Former Red Bull sporting director and ex-Ferrari team principal will take joint responsibility for Audi’s F1 results and report directly to manufacturer’s CEO Alex Kalinauckas Aug 1, 2024, 6:03 PM Upd: Aug 1, 2024, 6:30 PM Image Unavailable, Please Login Jonathan Wheatley and Mattia Binotto will form a “dual management” structure of Audi’s Formula 1 team when the marque rebrands the Sauber squad in 2026. Wheatley’s upcoming exit from his sporting director role was announced by the Red Bull squad on Thursday, but no word was initially forthcoming from Audi. It has since released a statement confirming Red Bull’s message, as well as announcing that Wheatley will only start working for Sauber/Audi in July 2025. When he finishes working for Red Bull at the end of 2024, he will then be on gardening leaving until he starts his new team principal position with Sauber, ahead of its transformation into the Audi works team at the beginning of the following season. Wheatley’s hiring by Audi comes just a week-and-a-half after the manufacturer revealed it had axed previous Sauber team CEO Andreas Seidl and chairman of the board Oliver Hoffmann after an internal power struggle had emerged between the pair. Audi has now revealed how the Binotto/Wheatley combination will work, saying in a statement that "there is a clear division of duties, and responsibilities have been individually defined", as well as how they will each "jointly take responsibility for the success of the racing team" and "report directly to [Audi CEO] Gernot Dollner in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG". Binotto, as team COO and CTO, will be in charge of Audi’s Hinwil factory and technical department - overseeing the design and build of new Audi cars - as well as its engine plant in Neuburg. Wheatley will run the outfit’s F1 team at events and be its media spokesperson. “The decision in favour of a dual management team is part of the realignment of the control structure of the future factory team in the context of the full takeover of all shares in the Sauber Group by Audi,” read the Audi statement. “I am delighted that we have been able to gain Jonathan Wheatley as team principal for our future Formula 1 team,” said Gernot Dollner. “Jonathan has played a major part in many Formula 1 race victories and world championship titles in his Formula 1 career so far, and has extensive experience in the paddock. He is a very valuable addition to our team. “With the appointment of Jonathan and Mattia we have taken a decisive step towards our entry into Formula 1. “I am convinced that with the two of them, we have been able to combine an extremely high level of competence for Audi. “Their experience and their ability will help us to get a foothold quickly in the tough competitive world of Formula 1.”
—By July 2025, having served gardening leave from Red Bull after the conclusion of the 2024 championship, Wheatley will take up his role as team principal and management spokesperson, focusing on the performance of the team, and operational management of races, and will represent Audi as its F1 team principal.—
Due to the budget cap & detailed technical regulations, it has become a question of efficiency - i.e. "find the biggest competitive advantage per dollar". Resources help, but the days of throwing money at it until it works, are long gone.
