The previous Ferrari president speaks in regards to the Maranello staff’s present scenario in Method 1. We’re referring to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who, even supposing he has been out of crucial motorsport sequence for a lot of seasons, continues to comply with the fortunes of the Prancing Horse with nice affection. On a number of events, nonetheless, his criticisms of Ferrari’s administration haven’t been missing, because the 77-year-old Italian entrepreneur is aware of nicely what it means to bear the burden of the historic Italian staff. Throughout his presidency, Ferrari achieved its final Method 1 world championship successes, particularly the drivers’ title in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen and the constructors’ title the next season due to Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Ferrari is at the moment in a interval of transition. The educational curve undertaken in 2024 has supplied a transparent sign, although: the Maranello staff is uninterested in dropping and is doing every thing to climb again to the highest. That is definitely no straightforward job, because the competitors is all the time very fierce, and any mistake will be deadly. Within the just-concluded Method 1 season, as an example, the principle drawback was associated to automotive updates. Everybody within the paddock is aware of the story of the SF-24 single-seater: a automotive that began very nicely, with a strong basis on which to construct a rising championship.
And partly, it was so, till the disastrous aerodynamic replace package deal launched by the Maranello staff’s engineers and technicians on the Circuit de Catalunya within the Spanish Grand Prix. A flooring that destroyed the Italian aspect’s ambitions for fulfillment, because the technical division took a minimum of six Grands Prix with a purpose to perceive and treatment the scenario. A lot time was misplaced, throughout which performances had been less than par for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and consequently, neither had been the outcomes, resulting in many useful factors misplaced in opposition to rivals McLaren. A part of the blame lies within the eagerness to anticipate timelines, the place the working group didn’t notice the deceptive context by which the aerodynamic upgrades had been designed after which produced. For that reason, issues will change within the subsequent Method 1 racing marketing campaign.
There shall be a distinct strategy, centered on the cautious research of improvements to carry to the monitor. The objective is to emulate McLaren’s strategy, a staff able to implementing a number of improvements on the MCL38 and all the time hitting the mark. It’s higher to lose a number of additional weeks however have the mandatory certainties than to waste months and lose the right working level of the automotive. That is the goal that shall be pursued within the 2025 Method 1 championship, when at Maranello, in addition to Monegasque Charles Leclerc, the seven-time F1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton may even drive the Ferrari.
There was a lot discuss in regards to the Briton and what he can carry from Mercedes after the golden period skilled at Brackley. A wealth of technical data and insights shall be contributed to the Scuderia. The know-how amassed by Lewis Hamilton will undoubtedly be very helpful. Furthermore, the expertise and sensitivity of the English driver will information the automotive’s improvement. The British driver is an absolute champion, essentially the most profitable one within the crucial class of motorsport. For that reason, his arrival in Italy can’t be described as merely a industrial operation.
After all, the monetary impression may even be important; there isn’t a level in hiding it. Nevertheless, the phenomenon from Stevenage is becoming a member of the pink staff to assist Ferrari erase that bothersome zero within the title column, which has been persistently current within the standings since 2008. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, as talked about. A person who started his Method 1 journey as an in depth collaborator of Enzo the “Drake” Ferrari. His expertise is undoubtedly immense, however this doesn’t stop him from commenting on Ferrari with a sure simplicity. The Italian businessman considers the presence of a aggressive automotive for subsequent yr to be important.
What appears extra attention-grabbing, nonetheless, is his opinion on Lewis Hamilton. Regardless of being almost 40 years previous, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is satisfied that the Briton cares little about advertising and marketing. Lewis Hamilton will grip the Ferrari steering wheel with two aspirations: staying forward of his Maranello teammate and profitable his eighth Method 1 world championship title. That is the objective he has had in thoughts for a very long time, as surpassing Michael Schumacher’s report and, in a single stroke, bringing Ferrari again to the highest of the world would make him a motorsport legend much more than he already is in his lengthy F1 profession.
Nevertheless, he should take care of a far-from-easy teammate. Charles Leclerc, too, fuels the identical want because the Englishman each single day of his life. Furthermore, there are drivers like Max Verstappen, who really outdid himself in 2024. That is Luca di Montezemolo’s view on the Dutchman’s phenomenal efficiency. A driver who can solely be praised abundantly, given his expertise and his innate capacity to all the time impose himself on opponents, whatever the efficiency of the automotive beneath him.
To conclude, the previous Ferrari president additionally speaks in regards to the FIA, significantly concerning on-track duels which can be sensationalized with each single contact. This restrictive strategy to racing battles doesn’t sit nicely with the Italian, who mentions Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux of their epic conflict at Dijon within the 1979 French Grand Prix. Such a situation, if it occurred as we speak, could be unacceptable. “They’d throw them in jail these days,” feedback Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and he has his causes. Extra rationality is required as a result of feelings, as an example, can not merely be erased by sensors embedded within the asphalt to watch monitor limits.
Method 1 shouldn’t be a precision timepiece. There are points of racing that ought to stay as they’re to maintain the spirit of the class alive and intact. There’s additionally a reminiscence of Michael Schumacher, who’s as important to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo because the air he breathes each day of his life. Lastly, the previous Ferrari chairman needed to share a number of phrases about Flavio Briatore and his new journey with Alpine. It is a superb alternative, as the previous Renault staff principal has already confirmed his capabilities previously, performing literal miracles with Benetton, bringing a comparatively unknown staff to world prominence.
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