Ferrari’s cycle of excuses and missed targets continues in F1 rebuild

The cycle of potential, execution, updates and endless waiting

Potential, execution, compression ratio, updates, ADUO: it feels like an endless wait…

It is almost touching to hear Charles Leclerc point out that yes, Ferrari is always there – almost close – but never quite at the front. There is always someone doing better, developing better, optimising better, and making better use of opportunities. And from counting the last world title (19 years since the drivers’ championship, 18 since the constructors’ title), attention is now shifting to the last race win. The 2024 Mexico Grand Prix: by the time Montreal arrives it will be 32 races, 1 year and 7 months, 574 days.

It is almost frustrating to always see Leclerc arrive in front of the media and take full responsibility for disappointing results like Miami, describing his own mistake as unacceptable. It is frustrating because above him, nobody seems to take responsibility for yet another year that started in pursuit mode, with decisive breakthrough races repeatedly announced and just as repeatedly failing to materialise.

The Ferrari engine has so far been the weak point of the SF-26, something clearly shown by data and repeatedly highlighted by both Leclerc and Hamilton. But it did not simply “fall from the sky” as part of a random allocation.

In a regulatory era where the power unit matters enormously, how can Ferrari arrive so far behind at the starting line?

What happened?

What did not work?

How has Red Bull managed to produce a better power unit without any previous Formula 1 experience?

If the problem is attracting technical talent to Maranello, what can actually be done to change direction?

Team principal Frédéric Vasseur has been in charge since the 2023 season, and his fourth year in Maranello has now begun: under his leadership, Ferrari has won 6 Grands Prix out of 74. An average of one win every 12 races.

The argument about continuity is commendable, but the only continuity that seems to exist is that of mitigating factors: potential, execution, compression ratio, stories about upgrades that will change everything, waiting for ADUO, “we were in control at the front, but then the Safety Car came out”.

At Miami, president John Elkann and CEO Benedetto Vigna were present, but no statements were recorded. Elkann has only spoken on the Ferrari F1 topic on two occasions: at the end of March, when he stressed that “racing means learning as much as winning”, and in mid-April, when he generically spoke about “coming back stronger”. After Australia, Vigna said he was “happy with the good start” to the season, in a race finished third, 15 seconds behind Mercedes, and after China he highlighted the “first encouraging signs”. Consistent praise for the working group, celebrating the small gains collected in recent years. Much criticism has been directed at Sergio Marchionne’s sharp style, but what results is this approach actually delivering? Todt’s Ferrari needed years to become a winning team, but at least the growth was visible season after season.

And on the political side? Personally, what stood out to me was the April 2025 meeting in Bahrain, where the possible revision of the 2026 regulations was discussed, including the split between combustion and hybrid systems and future regulatory frameworks. A key meeting for the future of Formula 1 and its stakeholders.

This was the list of attendees, alongside Mohammed Ben Sulayem (FIA president), Stefano Domenicali (F1 president), and Nikolas Tombazis (F1 technical director):

Gernot Dollner (CEO Audi AG)
Michael Moritz (COO Sauber Holding AG)
Mark Rushbrook (Global Director Ford Performance)
Mark Reuss (President General Motors)
Russ O’Blenses (CEO General Motors power units)
Koji Watanabe (President Honda Racing)
Tetsushi Kakuda (Executive Chief Engineer Honda Racing)
Ola Källenius (Chairman and CEO Mercedes-Benz)
Toto Wolff (Team Principal and CEO Mercedes F1)
Christian Horner (Team Principal and CEO Red Bull F1)
Mattia Binotto (COO and CTO Audi F1)

What stood out to me was that there were both corporate and racing representatives from each of the power unit manufacturers (3 from Audi/Sauber, 2 from General Motors, 2 from Red Bull/Ford, 2 from Mercedes, 2 from Honda). But who was there representing Ferrari, banging the table? Only Frédéric Vasseur, the team principal, at the time on a contract expiring at the end of the year. No senior corporate figure from the company.

But Ferrari is much more than a positive balance sheet in accounting books; winning the Liberty Media prize money distribution Grand Prix is not enough. Victory is not something that is “nice to have” – it must be the only objective when working in the factory and when going to the track. Everything must be done to achieve it, on the asphalt and behind the scenes. We are not talking about a team newly arrived in F1 that can be satisfied with a fastest lap or 15 laps in the lead.