Scuderia Ferrari has embarked on a long journey. It was necessary. The Mattia Binotto era, following the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene, didn’t perform as expected, and a drastic change was more than necessary. But the issue is time. It’s a long time if the intention is to completely overhaul the situation. The leadership knows this, especially Fred Vasseur, tasked with leading this significant restyling operation in the years to come.
During a time that wasn’t suspicious, the manager from France set the key points of the project. A myriad of measures connected to one another. Prioritizing in such cases is crucial. It’s about understanding which actions need immediate attention, considering the extensive timelines on certain factors. One of them is recruiting new forces, an aspect that requires multiple efforts.
Assessing the existing forces within an F1 team is not simple. And it’s not just about work methodology. Knowing what to do doesn’t necessarily mean having the opportunity to do it. Hence, the arrival of specialized personnel in various fields is necessary. This scenario will bring a clear shift. A break from the past that can somehow steer the team towards building solid foundations on which to base dreams and future hopes. Everything else is just talk.
Ferrari: The Operational Plan Takes Shape
Some argue that sidelining Mattia Binotto was a major mistake. While the capable Swiss engineer is not solely to blame, he did err on a crucial point: not realizing that the ongoing revolution was indispensable. On the contrary, his “operating rules” remained the same. But when something doesn’t work, for whatever reason, certain changes need to be made. Even if they are painful.
This wasn’t the case, and for this reason, the red team decided to do without his services. And it’s not about significant accolades or extensive knowledge in his baggage. In fact, if these characteristics existed, they should have been used. The current team principal hasn’t experienced Mattia’s presence within the Prancing Horse. And probably, on a technical level, doesn’t have knowledge of certain aspects either. However, unlike the former Ferrari motorist, the Frenchman has a lighter mindset, having not endured years of bitter defeats in Maranello.
Returning to the present, we can say that Fred Vasseur has put a lot of “cards on the table.” After all, it couldn’t be any other way, considering the difficulties in recovering performance. The aerodynamics of the SF-23 are not on par with Red Bull’s. We know this. But the puzzle is not “solved” by merely acquiring aerospace engineers. In this regard, it’s worth mentioning the work done by individuals who are practically embedded in sports management but are rarely mentioned.
Lately, we’ve observed a great productivity from Ferrari. Discarding the initially planned updates, before manufacturing the new parts, targeted research on the car didn’t slow down the overall plan. The Spanish Grand Prix set the stage for the new aerodynamic configuration of the SF-23. Subsequently, in Austria, further modifications arrived.
Nevertheless, for Fred Vasseur, this isn’t enough. Nor for Cardile. The two agree on one thing: updating the current car as much as possible means collecting a wealth of information that will undoubtedly prove useful in the future, next year. In addition to the current provisions, an important change is under consideration for the future, a factor that Mattia Binotto hadn’t even remotely considered.
According to the information gathered by Formula One Technical Analysis, one of the prerequisites for new technicians’ hiring brings with it a crucial point: changing operational methodology during the winter break, as well as throughout the season. This involves updating work structures on a performance level, defining an agile management that is effective in the project’s initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and control phases.
The goal aims to embrace a “rigorous consistency” to reduce timelines that must, in the meantime, be capable of delivering better results. A bit like what Red Bull has put into practice in recent years. Knowing what to do, when to do it, how to do it. Being aware of one’s resources, in essence. Being able to identify areas to reinforce in advance and doing so gradually. Without upheavals. This is a prerogative that Ferrari intends to adopt in order to return to victory.
Source: Alessandro Arcari for Formula Uno Analisi Tecnica
Leave a Reply