The rumors about Scuderia Ferrari in relation to the provisions of the disappointing start to the 2023 Formula One season are multiplying. The gap to Red Bull is greater than what has already been taken into account after the winter pre-season tests in Bahrain. Furthermore, the leap in performance made by Aston Martin and the albeit minimal superiority of Mercedes, with a car already rejected by the Brackley engineers, create a strong discomfort.
In particular, Lawrence Stroll’s team has displaced the competition with a competitive leap that allows it to look down on almost the entire grid. Inside the paddock, despite the legitimate sporting rivalry, each team knows the value of the technicians of the rivals. In modern Formula 1, the true balance of performance has often been achieved thanks to the transfer of brilliant minds who, despite the so-called “gardening leave”, bring ideas and methodologies acquired in previous experiences to the highest bidder.
Dan Fallows, technical director of Aston Martin, is the shining example of the know-how that a technician can transfer to a team that raced in the lower part of the midfield in the previous season. The engineering market is a practice with very ancient roots, which has made the fortunes of many teams, including those of the Prancing Horse.
The technical foundations on which Ferrari built its dominance at the beginning of the millennium were in fact imported in full by Benetton, immediately after Michael Schumacher’s arrival within the historic Italian team.
The autarkic system implemented by Sergio Marchionne during the Ferrari presidency, together with the horizontal organizational structure created by the Italian-Canadian manager, seemed to be the main direction for a return to the top. However, the president’s untimely death has certainly weakened the authority of courageous choices without more guidance.
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Sergio Marchionne’s “vision” has therefore degenerated over time into an isolationism rigidly faithful to a clearly anachronistic line in a competitive context where the transfer of knowledge could guarantee an enormous competitive advantage for the Maranello team.
Ferrari: obstacles of finding engineers on the market
Frederic Vasseur quickly understood that the team needs important additions to key areas of the Racing Division, in the belief that insourcing allows to achieve two strategic objectives: increase know-how and acquire crucial knowledge from the main competitors.
In this sense it seems that the French executive has long since received the consent of the top management in order to be able to seduce, especially economically, the engineers from across the Channel. However, Ferrari no longer exerts the charm of the past for reasons that go beyond the legendary aura of the Maranello team.
In the United Kingdom, within a radius of a few kilometres, there are the operational headquarters of as many as six Formula 1 teams, seven if we count the European branch of Haas. Which is why, for example, the massive insourcing carried out by Red Bull against Mercedes was much simpler in logistical terms. We must highlight a non-secondary aspect that could complicate the arrival of foreign technicians.
Any experienced F1 engineer is perfectly aware that the climate in Via Abetone is full of strong emotion. That’s why, accepting to work for the Maranello team could mean putting your career back on the line in a constantly evolving context.
As demonstrated by Adrian Newey in unsuspecting times, the repeated huge offers from Ferrari didn’t make the genius of Stratford-upon-Avon waver even for an instant. Given that among the areas for improvement the most important will certainly be the aerodynamic sector, technicians of Adrian Newey’s caliber cannot be easily found.
Unable to convince the genius of modern F1 to perhaps take on the last challenge of his glorious career, the Italian team will have to focus on a strategic supply aimed at acquiring know-how on the competition rather than relying on the internal ability of the current human resources.
A transfer of knowledge that will necessarily have to take into consideration the “gardening leave”, an element that forces the members of the teams with technical tasks to undergo a six-month sabbatical period before being able to start their working for the new team. The attention on the market has just begun for Ferrari, but to be able to enjoy the benefits of any new signings, the Scuderia will need to look at the long term.
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