How should one judge Scuderia Ferrari’s weekend at the 4.381-kilometre Hungaroring in Budapest in the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix? As always, it’s a matter of timing. On the eve of the round in Hungary, there were hopes for a significantly better weekend compared to recent performances. The hopes were pinned on the layput and the characteristics of the Budapest track, which could have greatly helped to make the most of the aerodynamic update package discarded in the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit. After the thirteenth round of this increasingly exciting Formula One season, one might be tempted to consider the result of the Hungarian trip positive.
However, one needs to abstract from the current situation, be realistic, and analyze the context clearly. Ferrari was once again the fourth strongest team on the track; without Max Verstappen’s crash with Lewis Hamilton, this was the clear verdict. Listening to the team principal of the Italian team at the end of the race was a punch in the stomach. Admirable was the sportsmanship towards McLaren, who, by scoring maximum points, overtook the Prancing Horse in the constructors’ standings. Seeing Frederic Vasseur relieved by a fourth and sixth place, with some flashes of speed from Charles Leclerc, was depressing.
This is the reflection of the current situation reigning within the Maranello team. By simply comparing the comments of the French manager at the end of last season’s Hungarian Grand Prix, it is evident that the Italian team is in a stalemate. Always the same story. The icing on the cake was mentioning the gap from the winner, which this year has reduced to “only” twenty seconds from McLaren. A figure that should make Ferrari’s men blush, not content…
Considering the level of competitiveness of the papaya-colored cars in the first races, the English team has shown that to win and do so consistently, it’s not necessary to have Adrian Newey on staff. In light of what the competitors, including Mercedes, are doing, how can one judge Ferrari’s race in Hungary positively? For us, the team principal’s analysis is not at all clear or perhaps deliberately optimistic to keep the spirits of the Maranello troops high, in what unfortunately promises to be an end of the 2024 Formula 1 season too similar to previous years.
At the moment, Frederic Vasseur is also the interim technical director after Enrico Cardile slammed the door and chose to accept a professional offer in the United Kingdom at the court of Lawrence Stroll’s team. Regarding the appointment of the new Technical Director, the French manager has scheduled an official announcement for September, which at this point could come during the Italian Grand Prix or the following week. It is now more than evident that the decision of the Italian technical manager was not consensual and somehow caught Ferrari’s top management by surprise.
The time for feelings is over. It is time to communicate transparently. The reality is that not even Ferrari knows why the car could aspire to the podium in the Hungarian Grand Prix, given the depressing qualifying performance. In terms of planning, Fred Vasseur has been working on the team’s organizational restructuring from the first day he set foot in Maranello and he can and should be judged on this timeline. To be honest, beyond personal judgment on some technicians, Maranello has become a place to flee from rather than a destination.
Once it was the natural culmination of an F1 career for the skilled engineers of Formula 1. Now, indeed, it seems like a place to escape from to avoid burying one’s career. If Ferrari’s present is, for yet another season, lacking in satisfaction, having to be content with some stage victories in favorable conditions, the future of the historic Italian team does not bode well. Within this competitive scenario, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton could become an unnecessary luxury, especially if the bar continues not to be raised.
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