Former Scuderia Ferrari team boss and new Formula 1 chief Stefano Domenicali is backing the Italian side to return to the front of the grid but concedes it won’t be an easy task this season.
Scuderia Ferrari’s form slumped last year as, largely due to its controversial power unit, the Maranello team’s SF1000 simply lacked pace. The team scored a measly three podiums, none of which came from race wins, and fell to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Although it looked around the Turkish Grand Prix as if Ferrari could get involved in the fight for third, that petered out almost immediately. The team finished with 131 points, 71 behind P3’s McLaren. Stefano Domenicali hopes this year will be a better one for the Italian stable, saying F1 “needs” better from Ferrari.
Speaking to Sky Sports 24, he said: “Compared to what happened last year, we all need a competitive Ferrari and one that plays its cards in a difficult context.
“I am convinced that things will improve, even if it will not be easy given that the regulations are stable. They were able to work a little on the power unit to make up for last year’s gap. I expect a Ferrari that is close to the goal of being able to fight again.”
Stefano Domenicali reckons even the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull, first and second in last year’s championship, want to see a competitive Ferrari team challenging at the front of the pack.
“I think team principals like Wolff and Horner also wish it to have a show that is more attractive to everyone,” he said.
Last year Toto Wolff spoke of his disappointment at Ferrari’s form, blaming team boss Mattia Binotto for the Scuderia’s fall from grace.
“Ferrari is an iconic brand and they should be racing at the very front,” he told Motorsport-Magazin.com – “It’s not good for Formula 1, it’s not good for the competition at the front. I very much feel with all the Tifosi and employees of Ferrari for this lack of performance. At the end one must question the priorities that have been set in recent times and where the lack of performance comes from. But overall nobody from the fans and Ferrari deserve such a result. It’s wrong to say ‘Ferrari priorities’, because that drags Ferrari and everybody in Ferrari into this. It’s maybe the decisions that have been made within the team, from certain members of the team.”
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