Ferrari management’s position raises questions

A series of mistakes made by the Ferrari team and its drivers has meant that hopes of winning the championship become increasingly elusive. At the same time, Scuderia went on a summer break amid declarations from management that the car’s speed is so high in the first half of the season that there is no reason to change the working method.

However, this position inevitably raises questions, as it suffices to recall the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, in which the Ferrari drivers had excellent chances of winning, but in the end didn’t even make it onto the podium.

In the last eight races, Charles Leclerc finished in the top three only once and won the Austrian Grand Prix. In other cases, he was hampered by tactical miscalculations or his own mistakes. At the Hungaroring in particular, the result was influenced by the Scuderia strategists’ failed decision to run the third segment of the race on hard tires, although it was clear that the effectiveness of the hard rubber left much to be desired.

As a result, Leclerc lost the lead and finished only sixth, having to return to the pits on lap 54 for a set of soft tires.

Accordingly, Leclerc and Ferrari are behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing by 87 and 90 points, but when Mattia Binotto was asked if they should somehow rethink their approach, taking advantage of the championship summer break, and head of the The Italian team replied: “We have not changed anything. You must always learn, constantly gain experience and improve your skills.

Of course, there are some things that need to be analyzed and resolved in their causes. But when I look again at the balance of the first half of the season, I see no reason why we should change anything.

I think we just need to analyze what happened in Hungary, understand what happened first, then take action and try to get back to fighting as strong as we were in the previous 12 races. Again, there is no reason to stop us repeating this in the next stages.”

In much the same way, Binotto responded to questions about tactical miscalculations from his subordinates at other stages of the season.

Historically, Ferrari has been characterized by a desire to find the culprits, and this has led team members to fear taking the initiative and taking responsibility for certain decisions. But under Mattia Binotto positive changes started: under him the team became closer and more efficient.

But this doesn’t mean she’s got rid of all kinds of problems – except that the Scuderia now doesn’t name the specific culprits of certain failures.

In Hungary, for some reason, the Ferrari car did not allow the drivers to do effective rubber work, but this does not absolve the team’s strategists from responsibility for failed tactical decisions.

Of course, when Binotto denies the need for change, it can be assumed that he is referring to changes in the team’s personnel, and in that sense he is right. Redundancies or reshuffles in the middle of the season will bring nothing, so it is necessary to improve the results with the help of the specialists now working in the team, in particular improving the tools available and the efficiency of all processes, that should enable them to make more correct and clear decisions.

Since errors are not excluded in any case, every effort should be made to prevent them from occurring again in the future.

In addition, there is no need at all to admit this publicly, these processes should take place behind the scenes, but so far there is no sense that such work is being carried out. Or you have to admit it doesn’t work.

After the French Grand Prix, when Leclerc crashed the car, Binotto said he saw no reason that could prevent Ferrari from winning all the remaining races to remain a contender for championship victory. Obviously, this was an over-optimistic statement, and another failure in Hungary was proof of this.

In general, those observers are right, and there are many of them among people who genuinely and sincerely love the Italian team, that it is not yet ready to fight for titles. And if Mattia Binotto really believes that there is no urgent need for change, then the mistakes will remain.