Former Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali has called on Tifosi to support the powers that be at Maranello, despite the fact that under the current leadership the great Italian team has been caught cheating and at the same time hit the lowest point in a generation.
The current crisis and chaos of non-performance at the Scuderia are well documented, their woes plain to see amid races at the sports most power-hungry race tracks. The picture is not pretty for the team that this time last year were top of the heap, pole plus wins at Spa and Monza but this year relegated to the wrong end of the midfield.
Domenicali told Resto del Carlino it’s time to batten down the hatches, “In a moment like this, we need to support those in charge of Maranello. From direct experience, I know how difficult it is to manage the Cavallino racing department.
“Attacking Binotto is not constructive. If there was someone around with a magic wand, I would agree. But since I don’t see wizards around, I repeat my belief: only work and patience tenacity will change this negative reality. I don’t see any alternatives to Mattia and his whole team.
The harsh reality of modern F1 is that Mercedes have elevated themselves beyond the chasing pack; they are Formula 1 and the rest are Formula 1.5.
Ferrari have plunged down the pecking order with a cheated-engine-turned-legal that simply does not have the firepower to contend, coupled to the SF1000 which must rate as one of the worst race cars to ever be wheeled out of Maranello.
Sadly, the demise of Ferrari coincides with a season in which the Italian team will have three home races – Monza, Mugello and Imola – not being contenders in any of these will hurt, especially on the occasion of their 1000th race next weekend.
But before then, Domenicali lamented, “Monza will be a pain and the discomfort is accentuated by recalling Leclerc’s feat a year ago. It will still be nice to race despite COVID. And I’m happy for Mugello: a fantastic track, it deserved the world chance. Just as the return of Imola in autumn is beautiful.
“There is an Italy that wants to start over, fast. Ferrari will probably not win but there will be stories that never end,” predicted their former boss.
Jean Todt ruled Maranello from 1993-2007; Stefano succeeded him in 2008 to 2014 when the Sergio Marchionne instigated winds of change swept through Maranello with Marco Mattiacci [remember him?] making a brief clueless cameo in 2014, followed by the user-unfriendly Maurizio Arrivabene who, despite his connections, was the sacrificial lamb for Mattia Binotto’s ambitions.
The Swiss-born Italian 50-year-old engineer took over as Ferrari team principal on 7 January 2019, where he remains for the foreseeable future. His bosses have confirmed their full faith in Mattia Binotto on whose watch the team have been caught cheating, made a secret deal to exonerate themselves and since sunk to unfathomable lows.
Final word to Camilleri who told the New York Times, “I have to say I have every confidence in Mattia Binotto and his team.”
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