All Enrico Cardile’s fault
Now at the seventh round of the championship, the SF-25’s lack of competitiveness is an established fact. Whereas in the past, Maranello would hide behind the well-known phrase “we need to understand,” a trademark of the Mattia Binotto era, this year a new motto has been coined: “unlock the potential.” A mantra repeated obsessively in defense of a technical project that, when tested on track, has spectacularly failed to meet expectations.
It feels like listening to the Mercedes engineers in 2022, when they staunchly defended the “zero sidepod” philosophy of the W13B despite the car’s obvious mediocrity. At last, however, Fred Vasseur has provided clearer insight into the authorship of the SF-25. The French team principal explained that Project 677 was conceived over 90% under the technical direction of Enrico Cardile. A statement that prompts several considerations.
First: what the current team principal of the Scuderia has admitted confirms that the split with the Italian engineer was not planned—at least not to the extent of allowing for a structured handover to his successor. As a result, Loïc Serra found himself in possession of a nearly completed project, but without its “instruction manual,” and was only able to intervene in a limited way.
Second: the working group led by Enrico Cardile still had all the tools to complete the design phase. According to Fred Vasseur’s own words, it was a job 90% finished. Thus, a team that—despite losing its technical leader—should have had the ability to promptly identify the SF-25’s weaknesses. But that does not appear to have happened…
Fred Vasseur, lapses in style and narrative inconsistencies
On the contrary, Frederic’s statements suggest a certain difficulty in grasping the dynamics of a project that has lost its architect. At this point, there are two possibilities: either Enrico Cardile is the sole keeper of the SF-25’s mysterious untapped potential, or that potential never existed—except in the words of those trying to cover up a failure.
In any case, after a disappointing start to the season, it seems at the very least inappropriate to assign responsibility for the Ferrari to a technician who cannot respond publicly. Especially since, had the Scuderia been dominating the field, one may doubt that Enrico Cardile would have been credited so eagerly. It’s also worth recalling a legal constraint involving the engineer from Arezzo, now with Aston Martin.
According to the Maranello public prosecutor’s office, Enrico Cardile is not allowed to make public statements until at least September. The days when it was proudly proclaimed that the SF-25 had only 1% in common with the previous year’s car now feel far away. But it must also be acknowledged that Fred Vasseur, in just three seasons of management, has had to deal with the departure of the technical director twice.
Fred Vasseur relieves pressure on Loïc Serra to rebuild
In 2023, the French team principal had to inherit the legacy left by Mattia Binotto, who until 2022 also held the role of technical director. A scenario that repeated itself this year, even though Loic Serra had officially been promoted as early as September 2024. By clarifying that the former Mercedes engineer had minimal involvement in the SF-25, Fred aimed to reduce pressure on the new technical director.
It’s a reasonable move, but one that underscores how crucial his work will be from here on. The major shortcomings revealed in the early races forced the team to scrap its original development plan and opt for a major redesign of the car. Not just an update, but a true “B” version of the SF-25, set to debut by early summer at the latest.
A necessary intervention to salvage a season that began in the worst possible way. And perhaps also to prevent the blame game from remaining Maranello’s only survival strategy. Barcelona is just two weeks away. At the Spanish Grand Prix in Montmeló, much will be revealed once the Italian car receives its upgrade package.
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