Maurizio Arrivabene highlights Ferrari’s industrial gap and backs Fred Vasseur to lead the team forward. Maurizio Arrivabene highlighted Italy’s industrial gap in composites and aerodynamics compared to the UK.

The words of the former team principal

Every time Ferrari faces a season, a historical phase, or even just a stretch in which competitiveness is lacking, the recurring theme returns: the handicap of having a single base in Maranello without a dedicated hub in the United Kingdom.

Audi, for example, will operate across three sites: Hinwil, Neuburg and Bicester, the latter opened in England specifically to remain connected to the engineering talent pool in the region. In the so-called “Motorsport Valley,” engineers can switch teams with ease, sometimes simply by crossing the street.

In an interview with the Italian daily newspaper Tuttosport, former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene pointed out that from his perspective there is indeed a gap that both Ferrari and Italy as a whole must work hard to close on an industrial level: “We are a little behind on composites and aerodynamics, because when it comes to engines, we still make them better than anyone else. The British, around the Oxford area, have developed that kind of technology and they are ahead. To recover this gap, which comes from tradition but also from skills and universities located close to production, we have to work a lot. But we are catching up. It takes patience, but Ferrari is on the right path. In England there are 30,000 people working in this sector—it’s not only about winning races, it’s about industrial progress.”

Arrivabene also believes Frederic Vasseur is the right person to continue leading Ferrari, even though he starts at a disadvantage by not being Italian: “A supercar is made of 5,000 components and you have four years to refine it. In Formula 1 you have 50,000 components and only six months. If you make a mistake, you carry it with you for the whole season and correcting it is very difficult. Fred Vasseur is a serious person, and he understands the job. I had it easier because I spoke Italian and was able to grasp every nuance, every word and every idea from anyone.”

When it comes to the design of the SF-25, errors were made with the rear suspension. Looking back at Maurizio Arrivabene’s time at Ferrari, his reference to mistakes that weigh down an entire season with great difficulty in fixing them could recall the gearbox casing of the SF16-H in 2016, a car that “flexed” too much, compromising the transmission and leading to unexpected failures.