Expert analyst and Formula 1 paddock insider Mark Hughes reflects on Simone Resta’s impending Ferrari homecoming from Alfa Romeo and whether this could restore the Scuderia’s glory days:
“The departure of Simone Resta as Alfa Romeo’s technical director for a – as yet to be officially confirmed – return to Ferrari, signals some sort of restructuring within the Scuderia. Resta left his role as Ferrari’s chief designer around Monaco time last season for a bigger role in a smaller team, albeit still one within the ‘family’ of the then-Marchionne-directed group of companies, with the Alfa Romeo branding of Sauber already well underway.
He, together with chief aerodynamicist David Sanchez, had been credited with the highly innovative and influential SF70 and SF71 Ferrari designs of 2017 and ’18 respectively. With a better performance from the team and fewer errors from Sebastian Vettel, either or both of these cars could have brought the world championship back to Maranello.
The fresh thinking evident in their conception was very evident and many of their innovations have since became standardised up and down the pitlane. They represented the first time for a decade or more that Ferrari was the most technically creative team, pushing hardest up against the rule book – as opposed to just incorporating what others had done the year before, as had been the case until then.
Maybe it’s coincidence, maybe not, that this year’s car, completed after Resta’s departure, seems to have lost that thread. Even the development curve of last year’s car went somewhat awry in the second part of the season. At the same time, Mattia Binotto’s promotion to team principal has left his former role as technical director not directly replaced. Might the plan be to slot Resta into that role, fresh from having performed it at Alfa? All will become clear over the coming weeks and months but it would surely be a positive thing for Ferrari to have him back.” – Mark Hughes explained for motorsportmagazine.com.
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