Leo Turini: Ferrari is a master of illusion

Well-known Italian journalist Leo Turini, like all Ferrari fans, is disappointed with the results of the Mexico City Grand Prix, because the Scuderia drivers distinguished themselves again on Saturday, but could not hold the positions from which they started on Sunday.

The kings of qualifying – I’m talking about Ferrari. Since Monza, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have taken pole position four times, which is quite a lot. But there was only one victory in the race: in Singapore.

If Max Verstappen equaled Alain Prost in the number of victories and reached the top of the podium 51 times (ahead of him now are only Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, who performed excellently in Mexico City – by the way, just like Norris, although there were problems on Saturday), the Ferrari pilots were satisfied with more modest results. Leclerc finished third, Sainz fourth. is that enough? No.

Here, of course, you can start talking about how they started, but this will not change the essence of the problem.

In general, Ferrari are the kings of one fast lap. At the moment we have to admit that the team is still missing a lot and is far from ideal.

Moreover, the scale of the problem can even be measured: the distance of the Grand Prix averages more than three hundred kilometers, and the Scuderia consumes all its power in one fast lap. If you like, Ferrari can be called masters of illusion.

Unfortunately this is an old problem. I’ve been hearing about it for decades and it’s no exaggeration! They once explained to us that the wind tunnel at the team’s base in Maranello is far from perfect, and that is exactly the point. But then it was modernized and brought to the modern level.

Then the complaints started that the simulator wasn’t as cool as those insanely expensive systems that Red Bull and Mercedes use. But now Ferrari’s racing division has an excellent modern simulator. However, the tires on red cars wear out too quickly.

Since it is not common to doubt the level of professional training of engineers working in Maranello, it becomes clear that we are dealing with failures in the organization of work processes, as well as shortcomings of other nature. I would call it a “culture gap” – in that it is extremely important for the team to learn to use the skills and experience of existing staff as efficiently as possible, and also look elsewhere for additional staff if necessary.

I understand that these are all complex topics, because we all rightly consider Formula 1 primarily as a generator of emotions. However, motorsport also has a technological side, and passion alone is not enough. Enzo Ferrari once understood this very well. One can only hope that his followers share these views.