Ferrari and the paradox of continuity in error
Change everything to change nothing. At Maranello, people may come and go, but the flaws remain.
There is a paradox hovering over the Maranello workshops, known as continuity in error. Fred Vasseur was presented as the man of revolution, the manager capable of breaking the chain of questionable decisions that had relegated Ferrari to a secondary role. He was supposed to bring method, pragmatism, and results. Yet, almost three years after his arrival, the reality is bitter: the former Sauber boss is doing nothing truly different compared to Mattia Binotto, who at least, in some measure, had the courage to get his hands dirty with the technical project.
The engineer from Lausanne was removed as a scapegoat for a management that failed to deliver championships, accused of wasting precious time chasing ineffective developments aimed at the “new F1.” Yet, the “new course” under Frederic Vasseur seems essentially identical: Ferrari continues to place all its bets on the 2026 regulations, an all-in strategy that feels more like desperation than vision. It is the same gamble Mattia Binotto made, which already cost entire seasons, leaving fans at the mercy of yet another postponed promise of glory.
If the Prancing Horse fails to hit the mark in 2026, the price will be enormous: wasted years, a technical and sporting void that will only amplify the anger and frustration of a fanbase tired of waiting. Ferrari enthusiasts, it must be said, are not blind: they recognize the car’s limitations, tolerate occasional setbacks, but do not forgive a lack of ambition. Today, the impression is that Ferrari is merely floating, postponing its redemption to an uncertain future.
Ferrari, where is the president?
In this scenario, the attitude of John Elkann weighs like a stone. A cold, distant, accountant-like president who conveys neither passion nor a sense of urgency. His Ferrari seems like just another asset, a brand to manage rather than a symbol to revive. And without passionate leadership, capable of imposing vision and ambition, no Fred Vasseur will ever truly change the fate of the Prancing Horse.
The risk, then, is that the same story will repeat itself: declarations of renewal, a new “strong man” heading the project, investments projected toward a future regulation… and finally the usual disappointment. A vicious cycle from which there seems no escape. Mattia Binotto paid with his dismissal (it was, in fact, a firing, not a mutual termination), while Fred Vasseur remains in place, perhaps strengthened by a renewal born from the lack of viable alternatives.
But if, in practice, nothing has truly changed, then the problem is not the team principal: it is Ferrari itself, which continues to choose the easiest and least courageous path. Perhaps a total procedural revolution is needed, like the one carried out in the 1990s. Yet those signing the checks and paying the salaries seem more interested in quarterly cash flow than sporting success.
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