In Formula 1 the word ‘future’ is often used: what, in the realm of verisimilitude and possibility, will and could happen. The career of specific individuals who move within the Formula 1 paddock is also based on this noun, used to make the best use of their cognitive abilities to climb the peak of success. They don’t always succeed, however. Or perhaps it would be better to say that others, from the same background, in the same environment, the highest category of motorsport, do it so well that the efforts made do not always lead to the desired results.
This is certainly not the case of Simone Resta, a brilliant Italian engineer and designer. The former Ferrari man has revived Haas in terms of performance, a team reborn after a really difficult 2021 season. He has been able to compact the environment, providing great experience and serenity to a team that seemed to have been definitively lost at the back of the grid.
Interviewed by the Italian Formula One Technical Analysis website, Simone Resta unveiled the operational plans regarding the choice of the 2022 aerodynamic look. Not to mention the technical implications for next year, linked to the new construction of the Pirelli compounds and the impact of the technical directive against porpoising.
The recent changes at the top of the Ferrari Racing Division, following the painful but for many necessary departure of Mattia Binotto, have led to the appointment of Frederic Vasseur as new Ferrari team boss. Formula One Technical Analysis asked Simone Resta about Frederic Vasseur, an engineer who from 9 January 2023 will hold the position of team principal of the Prancing Horse.
The day of the interview with Simone Resta coincided with the many team principal changes ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. Among these, in fact, the Ferrari official announcement on the appointment of the fifty-four year old French manager, who will move to Maranello. Simone Resta shared fourteen months with Fred Vasseur at Alfa Romeo, enough time to fully discover the Frenchman:
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“I got to know Fred in my experience in Switzerland. We are talking about a great leader and a great manager that we certainly do not discover today, capable of showing his abilities already through the excellent work done in the junior series. I can only wish him the best, in a position which however will undoubtedly be very demanding for him given the importance of the objectives” – the Italian engineer explained.
F1: the future of Simone Resta and a possible Ferrari return
The future tickles the imagination. Asked about a possible return to Scuderia Ferrari, which has been reported by several media outlets in recent weeks, Simone Resta pointed out that at the moment, apparently, there is no real negotiation with Ferrari. The Haas technical director described himself as concentrated on the current position held at the American side, a team intent on making a further step forward next season:
“Surely, after so many years, I have learned to live a lot in the present. Step by step. Trying to put a lot of effort, dedication and concentration into my work. On the other hand, Formula 1 requires this. I don’t look too far ahead, I don’t leave room for this type of reasoning and I try to do my best in this challenge that I have embraced, perhaps one of the most difficult of my life.” – he added.
“We have achieved great results this year. A pole position in Brazil, secured not by luck but with merit and it is a great satisfaction for us which leads us to push to continue developing the car and, once again, why not, to be the surprise of the season. In 2022 we were. This is my current goal. After that, for the rest, we’ll see…”
The last sentence does not close the door on the opportunity of a return to Italy. Although in the current state of things, all of the effort made by Simone Resta is spent on the Kannapolis team, the role of technical manager in the historic Maranello team remains vacant and highly desired by most. When asked about a hypothetical return to Ferrari, the fifty-two year old from Faenza has no doubts and speaks clearly:
“It’s just not a topic I’m considering right now. I am focused on other targets, such as the assembly phase of our single-seater in January and the subsequent tests in February. All close experiences while also considering that we still have to finish the development work, factors that require maximum attention and fill my CPU to 100%.” – he replied, trying to avoid a direct answer.
In the context of statements, looking at the future does not usually happen among the key figures of the paddock. On the contrary, as happened recently in Ferrari, despite the strong and repeated denials regarding the departure of Mattia Binotto, the context can change very quickly. Does this mean that a return of Simone Resta at the Ferrari Racing Division in the coming months, therefore, sound like a factual event or is the conjecture destined to remain so? For now it is difficult to answer. Nonetheless, it is still worth emphasizing a great truth: in Formula 1, as we know, what up until today may have seemed unlikely, can definitely happen tomorrow…
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