F1: Former Ferrari insider claims politics outweighs work at Maranello. Former Ferrari manager Gino Rosato claims internal politics outweighs technical work at Maranello.

In a lengthy and candid conversation, several behind-the-scenes details emerged. The remarks by Gino Rosato during his appearance on the PitStop podcast brought back into the spotlight a number of recurring themes surrounding Ferrari and the realities of life inside the corridors of the iconic Maranello headquarters. Among these was the delicate balance between the importance of pure technical work and the heavy shadow cast by internal politics within the Prancing Horse organisation.

The words of the former Ferrari man

Gino Rosato did not hold back in his assessment. He stated that there was no doubt something fundamental was missing within Ferrari in recent decades. Over the past twenty years, the team has never been able to achieve what he described as the ultimate goal — winning the Formula 1 World Championship. In certain seasons they came close, but never close enough to secure the crown.

Drawing from his own career experience, Rosato recalled working for a British outfit such as Lotus, where, in his view, the team’s culture was roughly 70% focused on work and only 30% affected by internal politics. By contrast, at Ferrari in Maranello, he observed the opposite tendency, with politics accounting for as much as 60% of the environment and actual work making up only 40%. He added that this imbalance made life far from easy for employees inside the Scuderia.

His comments underline the weight and complexity of working for the Prancing Horse. The Ferrari brand is instantly recognised worldwide, carrying with it immense expectations and relentless pressure. According to Gino Rosato, this very pressure could be one of the key reasons why Ferrari has failed to bring a drivers’ or constructors’ championship title back to Maranello for nearly two decades.

From his perspective, ensuring stability within the team might be the real key to future success. A stable environment would allow Ferrari’s technical and operational staff to focus entirely on performance and innovation, without having to adapt repeatedly to new working methods that often arrive with the appointment of a new team principal. By reducing internal upheaval and political manoeuvring, the Scuderia could finally create the conditions necessary to reclaim Formula 1’s ultimate prize.