It would be easy to give a simple answer: “a winning car.” But the reality is far more complex. To understand why Ferrari remains stuck in one of the longest title droughts in its Formula 1 history, a deeper analysis is needed—one that goes beyond pure performance and examines the technical, political, managerial, and emotional ingredients required to build a championship-winning team.
It has now been 19 years since Ferrari last won the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship and 18 years since its most recent Constructors’ Championship triumph. Never before has the Scuderia endured such a prolonged period without either title. Even between the 1983 Constructors’ Championship and the return to glory in 1999, the gap lasted 16 years—still shorter than the current drought.
To better understand what today’s Ferrari may be missing compared to its golden years, FormulaPassion.it spoke with two figures who experienced Ferrari’s most successful modern eras firsthand: veteran journalist Pino Allievi and former Ferrari team member Francesco Cigarini, who witnessed the Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen/Felipe Massa years from inside the paddock.
The central question was simple: what qualities—technical, political, emotional, or cultural—did those Ferrari teams possess that appear to be lacking at Maranello today?
Pino Allievi: “John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna should provide answers”
“Ferrari during the Luca di Montezemolo era was built around bringing the best of championship-winning Benetton to Maranello, combined with Jean Todt’s intelligent leadership,” Pino Allievi explained.
“It was a group that functioned because of the outstanding individual abilities of each person, but also because there was a strict internal culture—one that could even be described as fear-driven, because Jean Todt tolerated no mistakes.”
“Jean Todt lived in Maranello day and night. He sacrificed a significant part of his life to create what eventually became a miracle. But above all, he made a cultural effort to understand and integrate into the Italian mentality.”
“I cannot say whether Fred Vasseur has done the same, and certainly his current technical group does not seem to have the same stability or cohesion as the one Ferrari had during the Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, and Felipe Massa years. “So why is that? Why has nothing fundamentally changed in four years? Is it a question of personnel, or is it about management?”
“Those are questions that John Elkann and Benedetto Vigna should answer internally—and perhaps publicly as well—because they were the ones who made, or approved, certain decisions.”
Francesco Cigarini: “Why not involve the people who made Ferrari great?”
Francesco Cigarini offered a perspective rooted in team culture and internal structure rather than direct comparisons between eras.
“The periods being compared are obviously different, but the core ingredients required for victory remain the same,” he said.
“There has to be a genuine desire to win. People must put themselves in service of Ferrari’s history and culture, rather than believing they automatically embody Ferrari simply because they are wearing red. The goal should be to contribute to the myth, not simply benefit from it. Humility is essential. So is determination, sacrifice, strong and united technical leadership, and highly competent people placed in the right roles.”
“Perhaps all of those ingredients already exist inside Ferrari today. But if you position the pieces inefficiently, if expertise is sidelined, or if people are not encouraged to express ideas and initiative, everything grinds to a halt. Eventually, people stop wanting to step forward.”
Francesco Cigarini also suggested that Ferrari could benefit from reconnecting with key figures from its most successful modern era: “I would also suggest opening a dialogue with the people who helped make Ferrari great in the 2000s,” he added.
“But from what I have observed, there does not appear to be much willingness to do that. Which is unfortunate, because I believe there would be complete availability from those people—starting with former president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo.”
What is Ferrari truly missing?
The debate around Ferrari’s Formula 1 struggles continues to divide fans and experts alike. Is the issue technical leadership? Team culture? Internal structure? Political strength within Formula 1? Or simply the inability to recreate the exceptional alignment of talent, discipline, and leadership that defined Ferrari’s championship era?
One thing is certain: Ferrari’s lack of titles cannot be explained by a single factor. Formula 1 success requires the perfect combination of engineering excellence, stable leadership, clear decision-making, and a winning mentality—qualities Ferrari once mastered but has struggled to consistently replicate in the modern era. And for Ferrari fans, the wait continues.
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