[Team] Stefano Domenicali has resigned....

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I fail to understand what difference Stefano steeping down will make ??

It won't make a jot of difference.

Throughout the modern era Ferrari have always under delivered and under performed with the exception of the Schumacher years - a period in which Ferrari wasn't really an Italian team. Unless something like that happens again, it's hard to see Ferrari ever shake off it's 'nearly man' status.

[garcon]

Remind me of the old Policeman's Ball comedy sketch.

It's at times like this we need a futile gesture, Perkins...

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I fail to understand what difference Stefano steeping down will make ??

ill echo those thoughts and somewhat stunned by the seemingly odd choice for a replacement.

so im curious to know why they didnt promote from within more directly (someone working under SD for example). is their a belief that the entire structure needs to be rebuilt? is this another throw away season for ferrari?

i can say i have much sympathy for Alonso but its increasingly looking like he has wasted the best years of his career through several poor career choices.

[Inigo Montoya]

They had been calling for his head in Italy already for a couple of years. He had to go. Mattiacci is a marketing guy, and a very good manager. He is being rewarded for the excellent work he did for Ferrari in the North American market. The parallel that someone made to Briatore earlier in the thread seems appropriate. This is not a magic bullet, but in my opinion, it is a step in the right direction. My feeling is that Domenicali was in over his head, and perhaps too nice to run the show in the political pressure cooker that is Ferrari.

The general feeling in Italy (from what I have read and heard) is that di Montezemolo needs to stop his political ambitions and get back to running Ferrari properly or he will soon be out as well.

[Born Racer]

I don't think Alonso's wasted his career. If anything, people have a higher opinion of him than they may have had had he been winning championships.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I fail to understand what difference Stefano steeping down will make ??

It won't but falling on one's sword is always the better option than being executed, in this case sacked as it carries no disgrace; it's a Roman thing.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I don't think Alonso's wasted his career. If anything, people have a higher opinion of him than they may have had had he been winning championships.

Not so sure, he really should have been challenging Vettel seriously for the last two championships..... Opinion is one thing, silverware is another......

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I don't think Alonso's wasted his career. If anything, people have a higher opinion of him than they may have had had he been winning championships.

wasted might be too harsh of a word but certainly many missed opportunities.

i guess i question how many competitive years he has left in him and can he wait out another Ferrari rebuilding period because i dont really see him getting a competitive driver elsewhere.

[rustyfan]

I think the appointment of Marco Mattiacci sounds quite... interesting, when reading the in-depth analysis at Autosport:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113454

Fingers crossed he can turn it around somehow.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

I think the appointment of Marco Mattiacci sounds quite... interesting, when reading the in-depth analysis at Autosport:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/113454

Fingers crossed he can turn it around somehow.

Ferrari should have started the fixing process as soon as Luca di Montezemolo left Bahrain early. No point in waiting around to announce heads will roll, though the announcement itself looks proactive from a PR point of view.

[wolfhound]

I find the choice strange unless there is a plan to bring in a techical head to work along side Mattiacci. To me he looks more like a commercial director but how is going to know which enginner is telling him porkies.

I would have thought the ideal person for the job has gone fishing, good knowledge of Maranello, has proven he can sort out a team in a mess even if it will take a couple of years.

[chillibowl]

i actually like the approach of Mercedes (and Mclaren, Williams and RB to some extent) where there is a less traditional structure and multiple high profile heads.

i suppose it lends itself to battling egos but i do feel that the job at the top has become to big for one person.

perhaps hiring a commercial director is the first step in adopting a more contemporary structure (and may be more reasonable when discussing budgets)?

[Teretonga]

The failures at Ferrari are technical, not organisational in a direct sense(although the organisation allowed it to happen).
The power train is not as strong as the Mercedes one by a long chalk, but it is not just an engine, but a whole electrical package as well. It's an enormous task even if you have worked on it for two or three years.

The chassis can be fixed to a limited degree but it is much harder if you can't test physically, like Schumacher did a decade ago.
The engine spec is fixed via homologation, which is just stupid in such an experimental era, so really F1 has shot Ferrari (and Sauber and Marussia) in the foot to a degree, but Renault also.
2014 is going to be a political season in more ways than one.

[P38 in workshop]

They should have given the job to Nigel Stepney.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

The engine spec is fixed via homologation, which is just stupid in such an experimental era, so really F1 has shot Ferrari (and Sauber and Marussia) in the foot to a degree, but Renault also.

The same rules apply to Mercedes as well, so it is only the fact that it seems to be the case that neither Ferrari nor Renault have made the best use of the available technology in the same amount of time that Mercedes also had, that has put them at a disadvantage.

You would have been correct to say that Ferrari and Renault are the architects of their own misfortune. The same principle applies to McLaren's 2013 car, a fact that they accept. And they don't blame the rule makers for writing a set of rules that didn't suit their designers.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

The same rules apply to Mercedes as well, so it is only the fact that it seems to be the case that neither Ferrari nor Renault have made the best use of the available technology in the same amount of time that Mercedes also had, that has put them at a disadvantage.

You would have been correct to say that Ferrari and Renault are the architects of their own misfortune. The same principle applies to McLaren's 2013 car, a fact that they accept. And they don't blame the rule makers for writing a set of rules that didn't suit their designers.

Obviously Mercedes have done a far better job than either of the other two power unit manufacturers and a better job than Ferrari has done with its chassis too.

[Knowlesy]

All the best Stefano.

One of the most dignified characters in F1, sorry to see him go.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

The same rules apply to Mercedes as well, so it is only the fact that it seems to be the case that neither Ferrari nor Renault have made the best use of the available technology in the same amount of time that Mercedes also had, that has put them at a disadvantage.

You would have been correct to say that Ferrari and Renault are the architects of their own misfortune. The same principle applies to McLaren's 2013 car, a fact that they accept. And they don't blame the rule makers for writing a set of rules that didn't suit their designers.

As you say Mike, Mercedes have done a superb job with the power unit, and it is simply dominating!

The teams are responsible for drafting the legislation which the FIA rubber stamps, so Ferrari and Renault are indeed the architects of their own misfortune by allowing the specifications of the power units to be frozen so early.

Where to from here?

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by wnut

As you say Mike, Mercedes have done a superb job with the power unit, and it is simply dominating!

The teams are responsible for drafting the legislation which the FIA rubber stamps, so Ferrari and Renault are indeed the architects of their own misfortune by allowing the specifications of the power units to be frozen so early.

Where to from here?

From here? The Silver Arrows return.... A few years of domination by silver cars and/or engine builders.

Nothing wrong with Mercedes doing well but having rules that actually prevent teams from making changes to develop equipment can sometimes be self defeating. They are the rules, but rules don't always make sense.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

From here? The Silver Arrows return.... A few years of domination by silver cars and/or engine builders.

Nothing wrong with Mercedes doing well but having rules that actually prevent teams from making changes to develop equipment can sometimes be self defeating. They are the rules, but rules don't always make sense.

Nico and Lewis disappearing into the distance staging faux races for three years is just what F1 needs!

[321Go]

In news soon to come.....









Fernando Alonso announces he is leaving Ferrari at the end of 2014.

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by 321Go

In news soon to come.....









Fernando Alonso announces he is leaving Ferrari at the end of 2014.

That sounds like a man with a plan to Woking perhaps?

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by wnut

Nico and Lewis disappearing into the distance staging faux races for three years is just what F1 needs!

Well you can watch it for the next three years if you like wnut, but when you finally leave the viewing room, don't forget to turn out the lights...

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by wnut

Nico and Lewis disappearing into the distance staging faux races for three years is just what F1 needs!

Better to have two of them doing it than just one........

[321Go]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Better to have two of them doing it than just one........

There's a dirty joke in there somewhere. But I'm not going anywhere near it.







ps: The Alonso story is just me
Won't happen.