Ferrari, the praise of continuity. Extenuating circumstances

Charles Leclerc is endearing when he observes that yes, okay, Ferrari is always there – almost close – but then it is never the one in the lead. There is always someone who does better, who develops better, who optimizes better, who exploits the opportunity better. And from the account of the last world championship (19 years since the drivers’ title, 18 since the constructors’ title), we are moving on to that of the last victory. Mexican GP 2024: 32 races, 1 year and 7 months, 574 days. It’s almost infuriating to always see Leclerc appear in front of journalists to take all the blame for the disappointing result in Miami, defining his mistake as unacceptable. He is angry because no one above him seems to take responsibility for yet another year that began in pursuit and in which turning point grand prizes are evoked which are promptly disregarded. The Ferrari engine has so far been the weak point of the SF-26, it is clear from the data and it is highlighted every single time by both Leclerc and Hamilton. But it didn’t fall from the sky in a random assignment. In a regulatory formula in which the power unit counts for a lot, how can you show up so far behind at the starting line? What happened? What didn’t work? How can Red Bull have produced a better power unit without any experience in Formula 1? If the problem is attracting technicians to Maranello, what can be done to change course? Team principal Frederic Vasseur has been in charge since the 2023 season, his fourth year in Maranello has begun: with him at the helm, 6 GPs out of 74 have been won. On average, one victory every 12 grands prix. The point that continuity must be given is commendable, but the only continuity that seems to exist is that of the mitigating factors: the potential, the execution, the compression ratio, the story of the updates that will change everything, we are waiting for the ADUO, we were in the lead in control “but then the Safety Car came out”. President John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna were in Miami, statements not received. Elkann spoke on the subject of Ferrari F1 on only two occasions, at the end of March when he underlined that “racing means learning as much as winning” and in mid-April when he generally spoke of “coming back stronger”. After Australia, Vigna said he was “happy for the good start” to the season, in a race that ended in third place, 15″ behind Mercedes, and after China he highlighted the “first encouraging signs”. Constant caresses to the working group, to the praise of the crumbs collected in recent years. Sergio Marchionne’s sharp style has been criticized a lot, but what results is this path bringing? Todt’s Ferrari had taken years to become successful, but at least the growth was visible season after season. And on a political level? Personally, the April 2025 meeting in Bahrain left an impression on me, in which we talked about the possible revision of the 2026 regulations, the division between thermal and hybrid and future regulations. A key meeting for the future of F1 and its participants. This is the list of those present, in addition to Ben Sulayem (FIA president), Domenicali (F1 president) and Tombazis (F1 technical director): – Gernot Dollner (CEO Audi AG) – Michael Moritz (COO Sauber Holding AG) – Mark Rushbrook (Global Director Ford Performance) – Mark Reuss (President General Motors) – Russ O’Blenses (CEO of the General Motors power units) – Koji Watanabe (President Honda Racing) – Tetsushi Kakuda (Chief Executive Engineer Honda Racing) – Ola Kallenius (President of the board and CEO Mercedes-Benz) – Toto Wolff (President and CEO Mercedes F1) – Christian Horner (Team principal and CEO Red Bull F1) – Mattia Binotto (COO and CTO Audi F1): It caught my eye that there were corporate and racing managers for each of the engine manufacturers (3 from Audi/Sauber, 2 General Motors, 2 Red Bull/Ford, 2 Mercedes, 2 Honda). While who was there for Ferrari to beat the punches? Only Frederic Vasseur, team principal, at the time with a contract expiring at the end of the year. No top management figures of the company. But Ferrari is much more than a positive balance sheet on the books, it is not enough to win the grand prize of Liberty Media’s millionaire distributions. Winning is not something that should be the only objective when working in a factory, when going to the track. You have to do everything to get it, on the asphalt and behind the scenes. We are not talking about a team that has just arrived in F1 that can be satisfied with one fastest lap or 15 laps in the lead.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-05 20:26:00