Cesare Fiorio reflects on Ferrari’s difficult moment and Enrico Cardile’s departure. Cesare Fiorio, former sporting director of Ferrari, commented on the team's difficult moment.

Ferrari in a difficult situation
“31 points to recover? They told me 24…”. This is how Charles Leclerc, after his victory on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco, hinted that his main goal, which has obviously never been abandoned, is to compete for the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship, a hope he recently reiterated in an interview with the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa where, although he limited himself to saying that Ferrari has a chance, especially for the Constructors’ title, he added that he “will push to the end” for the Drivers’ title.

In four races, however, the gap to Max Verstappen has gone from 31 to 105 points. Critical in this regard are the three zero points finish recorded by Charles Leclerc in Canada, Austria, and Great Britain, interspersed with a fourth place in Barcelona, a Sunday on which Max Verstappen won. Making the comeback even more complicated is the fact that Ferrari currently cannot count on technical supremacy sufficient to hypothesize placing heavy one-two finishes to quickly erode the gap in the standings. In fact, the great balance that has emerged in the past month may be Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s greatest ally, as they are managing to extend their lead in both standings despite losing their technical advantage.

At the top, Mercedes has also arrived, a team that – and not without reason – Cesare Fiorio had described in an interview with the Italian media as “a fourth-rate team” a few months ago. Now, in the role of rebuilders, is Scuderia Ferrari, currently in difficulty after an aerodynamic package of updates that needs to be reshaped to be truly effective. “After Monaco, I was among the deluded ones – Cesare Fiorio said in an interview with Il Corriere dello Sport – I thought it would be a battle with Red Bull, a head-to-head with at most a few tail-end strikes from rivals. Instead, I have to reconsider. If we are lucky, today we are the fourth force, if we are lucky.”

The former sporting director of Ferrari also commented on Enrico Cardile’s departure from Maranello’s technical organization (the former technical director has already been confirmed by Aston Martin). “A reference point is lost, but I don’t think Ferrari was caught so unprepared on this matter. It’s not possible. Also, because it’s not a bolt from the blue, it’s not new news,” Cesare Fiorio added.