Ferrari are under performing this year because the team is working in a climate of terror, according to Formula 1 engineer Luca Baldisserri who worked with the team during the Michael Schumacher golden era.
Baldisserri told Corriere dello Sport, “Unfortunately neither [Sergio] Marchionne nor [Maurizio] Arrivabene have experience of racing.”
“Ferrari are no longer a team, but a group of frightened people. Inside the team there is a climate of terror, the boys do not invent, do not make decisions for fear of being expelled in disgrace.”
“The chain of command in Formula 1 has to be more vertical – it must be military style. The managers are there to show the way, to motivate people, to make decisions, and if mistakes are made not to be sent packing. This is what happened to Allison – a great loss.”
Asked what it will take for Ferrari to win again, something they have not done all season, Baldisserri said, “When the team achieves efficient organization and stability, with good ideas and their drivers do not make mistakes.”
“The money is there, but you win with stability. Those who are working hard should not be rushed. I understand that Marchionne wants to win right away, but in Formula 1 it does not work that way. It’s difficult to make it happen in less than three years.”
In the wake of Allison’s departure Mattia Binotta was promoted to Chief Technical Officer, Baldisserri has worked extensively with him and said of the appointment, “Mattia knows how to motivate people and he has great experience but he is not a technical director.”
“He knows he cannot design a [F1] car and does not have the deep knowledge with regards to the chassis, aerodynamics and mechanical elements. But I can see him doing very well as a team principal.”
In Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari have a formidable driving line-up, but this season they are struggling although the Iceman appears to have upped his game while the four times world champion is slipping up.
Baldisserri explained, “Raikkonen is better than he was in 2015, but Vettel is much worse. It is important Ferrari recover and that the drivers hold tight at least for the short term. [Vettel] was caught up in the vortex of exaltation last year [when he joined the fabled team].”
“But the problem is not the drivers,” added the Italian.
With four races remaining, Ferrari have yet to register a win this season and lie third in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship, 50 points adrift of Red Bull.
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