Ferrari are in crisis once again, in the aftermath of a first half of the Formula 1 season which failed to deliver expected results, prospects for the second half look grim as the legendary team are unlikely to reel in Mercede, while Red Bull seem to have edged ahead in the pecking order.
The situation has resulted in Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne taking a hands on approach to try halt the decline, a move which is not only making waves but reportedly adding fuel to an already explosive situation that exists at Maranello.
Influential and respected Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reports, “Marchionne’s increasingly hands-on approach also appears to be the result of the fractious nature of the Ferrari hierarchy, with Marchionne’s relationships with team principal Maurizio Arrivabene and technical director James Allison having broken down.”
“Now, likely to the irritation of Ferrari’s engineers, Marchionne is beginning to personally intervene in the technical and strategic decisions of the Sporting Management team,” the report revealed.
The Italian-Canadian, who earns a whopping $170,000 per day is a hugely successful executive at the helm of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, chairman of a number of corporations and of course president of the fabled Scuderia.
However he is very new to the business of Formula 1 and his naivety emerged earlier this year when he announced with confidence that he expected Ferrari to challenge for the F1 world championship and start the season winning in Australia.
Ahead of the first race in Melbourne, Marchionne declared, “2016 should be the year for us to return to the top. Our investments have not been lacking. We want to present ourselves in Australia as the team to beat. We know that our rivals are strong, but we are not afraid of them as we are the most successful team in the history of Formula 1.”
Since then, despite his predictions coming back to haunt him, he has not toned down his rhetoric and headline grabbing demands, which in turn has put the team under intense pressure.
Last month, clearly briefed by someone with inside information, Marchionne said, “The Ferrari SF16-H is new compared to the 2015 edition. Although the design looked great, once it took to the track there were some results that didn’t match up to our expectations.”
In Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen the team have a potent driver line-up, who with a good car at their disposal have the ability to do the business at the sharp end of the grid. But they have struggled and been ill at ease with a car that lacks the firepower to mix it with the pace setters this season.
Marchionne acknowledged this, “Vettel is a pilot with extraordinary abilities, but he has to be given the right car to win. The problem is the machine. It is necessary to give the machine so that Vettel can win – he is ready. The problem is that when he gets a winning car, the whole season is ruined.”
The Gazzetta report added, “A truly embarrassing campaign has almost inevitably led to questioning of character among key members of the Ferrari leadership, and now James Allison would seem to be on the verge of leaving amid mutual acrimony between himself and Marchionne.”
“The problem for Ferrari is precisely the lack of viable candidates capable of replacing Allison. The prospect of convincing Ross Brawn, whose tenure with the team was legendary, to come out of retirement is highly unlikely, and the Cavallino would also struggle to bring in Toro Rosso’s James Key at short notice,” concluded the report.
Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda, one who knows the volatile Ferrari scenario well, summed up the situation at Maranello, “The problem with Ferrari is that they are under pressure. The more Marchionne calls for wins, the more the Italians make mistakes.”
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