The previous Ferrari president speaks in regards to the Maranello group’s present state of affairs in System 1. We’re referring to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who, although he has been out of crucial motorsport sequence for a lot of seasons, continues to comply with the fortunes of the Prancing Horse with nice affection. On a number of events, nevertheless, his criticisms of Ferrari’s administration haven’t been missing, because the 77-year-old Italian entrepreneur is aware of effectively what it means to bear the burden of the historic Italian group. Throughout his presidency, Ferrari achieved its final System 1 world championship successes, particularly the drivers’ title in 2007 with Kimi Raikkonen and the constructors’ title the next season because of Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa.
Ferrari is presently in a interval of transition. The training curve undertaken in 2024 has supplied a transparent sign, although: the Maranello group is uninterested in shedding and is doing every thing to climb again to the highest. That is definitely no straightforward job, because the competitors is all the time very fierce, and any mistake may be deadly. Within the just-concluded System 1 season, as an illustration, the primary drawback was associated to automotive updates. Everybody within the paddock is aware of the story of the SF-24 single-seater: a automotive that began very effectively, with a stable basis on which to construct a rising championship.
And partially, it was so, till the disastrous aerodynamic replace package deal launched by the Maranello group’s engineers and technicians on the Circuit de Catalunya within the Spanish Grand Prix. A flooring that destroyed the Italian facet’s ambitions for fulfillment, because the technical division took no less than six Grands Prix as a way to perceive and treatment the state of affairs. A lot time was misplaced, throughout which performances have been lower than par for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and consequently, neither have been the outcomes, resulting in many useful factors misplaced towards rivals McLaren. A part of the blame lies within the eagerness to anticipate timelines, the place the working group didn’t understand the deceptive context wherein the aerodynamic upgrades have been designed after which produced. For that reason, issues will change within the subsequent System 1 racing marketing campaign.
There might be a distinct method, centered on the cautious examine of improvements to deliver to the monitor. The aim is to emulate McLaren’s method, a group able to implementing a number of improvements on the MCL38 and all the time hitting the mark. It’s higher to lose a couple of additional weeks however have the required certainties than to waste months and lose the right working level of the automotive. That is the goal that might be pursued within the 2025 System 1 championship, when at Maranello, in addition to Monegasque Charles Leclerc, the seven-time F1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton will even drive the Ferrari.
There was a lot speak in regards to the Briton and what he can deliver from Mercedes after the golden period skilled at Brackley. A wealth of technical data and insights might be contributed to the Scuderia. The know-how amassed by Lewis Hamilton will undoubtedly be very helpful. Furthermore, the expertise and sensitivity of the English driver will information the automotive’s improvement. The British driver is an absolute champion, essentially the most profitable one within the crucial class of motorsport. For that reason, his arrival in Italy can’t be described as merely a industrial operation.
In fact, the monetary affect will even be important; there is no such thing as a level in hiding it. Nonetheless, the phenomenon from Stevenage is becoming a member of the pink group to assist Ferrari erase that bothersome zero within the title column, which has been persistently current within the standings since 2008. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, as talked about. A person who started his System 1 journey as an in depth collaborator of Enzo the “Drake” Ferrari. His expertise is undoubtedly immense, however this doesn’t forestall him from commenting on Ferrari with a sure simplicity. The Italian businessman considers the presence of a aggressive automotive for subsequent yr to be important.
What appears extra fascinating, nevertheless, is his opinion on Lewis Hamilton. Regardless of being almost 40 years previous, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is satisfied that the Briton cares little about advertising and marketing. Lewis Hamilton will grip the Ferrari steering wheel with two aspirations: staying forward of his Maranello teammate and successful his eighth System 1 world championship title. That is the aim he has had in thoughts for a very long time, as surpassing Michael Schumacher’s file and, in a single stroke, bringing Ferrari again to the highest of the world would make him a motorsport legend much more than he already is in his lengthy F1 profession.
Nonetheless, he must take care of a far-from-easy teammate. Charles Leclerc, too, fuels the identical want because the Englishman each single day of his life. Furthermore, there are drivers like Max Verstappen, who actually outdid himself in 2024. That is Luca di Montezemolo’s view on the Dutchman’s phenomenal efficiency. A driver who can solely be praised abundantly, given his expertise and his innate capacity to all the time impose himself on opponents, whatever the efficiency of the automotive beneath him.
To conclude, the previous Ferrari president additionally speaks in regards to the FIA, notably concerning on-track duels which are sensationalized with each single contact. This restrictive method to racing battles doesn’t sit effectively with the Italian, who mentions Gilles Villeneuve and Rene Arnoux of their epic conflict at Dijon within the 1979 French Grand Prix. Such a situation, if it occurred right this moment, could be unacceptable. “They’d throw them in jail these days,” feedback Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, and he has his causes. Extra rationality is required as a result of feelings, as an illustration, can’t merely be erased by sensors embedded within the asphalt to observe monitor limits.
System 1 shouldn’t be a precision timepiece. There are features of racing that ought to stay as they’re to maintain the spirit of the class alive and intact. There’s additionally a reminiscence of Michael Schumacher, who’s as very important to Luca Cordero di Montezemolo because the air he breathes every single day of his life. Lastly, the previous Ferrari chairman wished to share a couple of phrases about Flavio Briatore and his new journey with Alpine. It is a wonderful selection, as the previous Renault group principal has already confirmed his capabilities prior to now, performing literal miracles with Benetton, bringing a comparatively unknown group to world prominence.
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