In the second part of this extensive interview, Ferrari Team President John Elkann, during the Las Vegas GP weekend, spoke to BBC Sport about the mentality the Maranello team must have, also recalling the period when Jean Todt was in charge. Here are some of his most important comments.
A look at past victories
Looking back to the Michael Schumacher era, the Ferrari president stated: “We had a very clear organization when Todt was leading it, and the reality is that we are a single company, and we are very proud to be one, something that especially in recent years we have tried to encourage.”
Responding to the question of why Ferrari has not won for so long, John Elkann replied: “The reasons are always many, indeed very many, and refer to every single aspect that matters. I remember when I had to get more involved. In 2020, we had a really negative season, and one of the things that surprised me then is that we actually did worse in pit stops than our position in the championship.”
“It was an indicator of mentality because, in the end, to truly win, you have to be good at everything. It is true that on the margin, if you don’t have a competitive car, the rest won’t make you win, but if you have this mentality, it’s difficult for you to win. In 2022, 80% was under three seconds; this year the percentage has risen to 88%. Ferrari is second in the pit stop rankings behind Red Bull and has the second-fastest pit stop of the year: the 1.93 seconds achieved with Leclerc in Qatar was beaten only by McLaren’s 1.80 with Lando Norris in the same race.”
John Elkann credits Sporting Director Diego Ioverno and adds: “This is an indication of how concentration and intentions are ultimately an important requirement to achieve competitiveness and, in the end, be able to translate it into results.”
The president then added: “The important thing is to have the best possible team, and if you can have the best possible team with women and men from different nationalities and backgrounds that allow you to do so, it is very welcome. Our identity is clearly defined as Italian, and the backbone of our organization is Italian. But this is by no means a disadvantage. On the contrary, it is a basis on which to integrate very strong talents from different places.”
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“The important thing is to maintain the pace and momentum of improvement. Every year will be challenging for unknown reasons. For example, I like what happened here in Las Vegas. They were fast. A manhole cover jumped. They worked very intensively, put the car back together, and did very well in qualifying. This is the attitude you want to have, and it is what is important to continue moving forward and growing in 2024.” – he pointed out.
“The important aspect of how you progress is that progress is not necessarily linear. The way you come out of difficult results ultimately makes us stronger if you have the right attitude, and this weekend is an example of that.”
Speaking of the drivers, John Elkann revealed: “Charles is a very strong driver with enormous potential, and there is no reason why he cannot become world champion. We believe our drivers are very strong and have very high potential. The important thing is to be able to work to convert this potential into real results.”
The head of the Ferrari team then concluded by talking about the dominance of rivals, saying: “If they dominate, it means they are really good, and that is positive because sport aspires to push for the best, and that is what we thrive on and aspire to.” But he adds: “If there is no one capable of recovering, it’s not good.” – John Elkann concluded.
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