Last Updated on November 20 2024, 12:06 pm
Ferrari are now properly in the hunt for the 2024 Formula One constructors’ championship. Their title charge faltered earlier this season when following Leclerc’s win in Monaco backed up by a P3 from Sainz moved them within 24 points of Red Bull. Yet just two race weekends later in Barcelona, the Scuderia brought what they believed to be ‘game changing’ new floor design to Barcelona which with hindsight set the team back for most of the European season.
The engineers in Maranello set to work to reverse their mistake and come the team’s home race in Monza, a redesigned floor was introduced which had an immediate impact resulting in a glorious victory for Leclerc in front of the tifosi.
Since the Grand Prix in Italy, Ferrari have collected two further wins together with three additional podiums and over the stretch from Monza have outscored the flying McLaren team.
Binotto: ‘No revolution’
To F1 observers, the Italian team has undergone a transformation under Vasseur’s leadership and is a genuine contender to claim their first constructors’ championship since 2008. Now the previous team boss of the Scuderia offers his thoughts on the impact Fred Vasseur has had since taking the reigns in Maranello just prior to the season opener in 2023.
Mattia Binotto was a stalwart of the red team for 27 years before he quit his role at the end of the 2022 campaign, with many Italian journalists believing he jumped before he was pushed. Now in charge of organising the chaos which is the Sauber-Audi F1 project Binotto, believes his successor has built on the groundwork laid before him, rather than start a revolution.
The team made a slow start under Vasseur’s leadership which coincided with the most dominant year in the history of the sport. Red Bull won 22 of the 23 races in 2023, with only Carlos Sainz’s win in Singapore preventing the world champions from completing a complete sweep of the year. Yet the team finished the year behind a poor Mercedes team who continued to struggle with the new ground effect F1 car designs.
As the year came to a predictable end, Ferrari closed in on Mercedes but failed to reclaim the second place at the final hurdle. Their upward trajectory continued into this season and the team replaced Red Bull as challengers to McLaren following Sainz victory at the recent Mexico Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz breaks silence over Audi snub
“If Ferrari wins, I am happy”
Asked by Corriere dello Sport as to what he see’s in ‘Vasseur’s Ferrari’,” Binotto replied: “I would rather say what I saw in Ferrari. Fred was able to continue the project in the name of continuity, he did not revolutionise a structured and functional organisation. He also made his own choices.
“If Ferrari wins I am happy because I know the team and I know how much effort was spent to bring it to a certain level,” said the Sauber-Audi F1 CEO.
Binotto reflects on how he supported Ferrari as a child collecting various items of memorabilia when he found the opportunity. And even “today I am still happy when I see the Reds win, I am happy above all for that team that I know thoroughly and to which I believe I have made a contribution.”
The ex-Ferrari chief is now in competition with his old team, although currently the Sauber-Audi F1 project will not see them challenging the Scuderia for a number of years.
Brown describes ‘gulf’ between Norris and Verstappen
Lost points costly
In an interview with F1.com, Fred Vasseur reflects on the season to date. “We had a tough moment after Monaco – but we were able to have a good recovery after this sequence.”
“As a team, it was a good move. Sometimes it’s difficult to react when you’re in this kind of situation. The team did a very good job to come back. We had a good sequence. For sure we missed some points in Baku, but from the summer break, I think we’ve done a good job.”
Vasseur’s reference to lost points in Baku relates to the penultimate lap crash between Sainz and Perez whilst battling for third place. Had the pair not ended up in the wall, Ferrari would now have outscored McLaren since the summer break.
Under pressure Ferrari’s resilience has improved marking a departure from the past where regular mistakes under pressure often snowballed. This shift must be attributed to Vasseur’s influence, his approach encourages risk taking together with learning from mistakes.
Colapinto manager: “you all need to shut up”
Evolving “no blame” Ferrari culture
Creative risks are now embraced under the new culture of ‘no blame’ which in turn fosters a more collaborative environment in Maranello. “I just want to have people working as a team, for the team,” says Vasseur. “I want them to be aggressive, taking risks. The motivation is there. You don’t need to motivate the people here, sometimes you have to even calm them down a little bit.
“The capacity to take risk and to assess the risk management is crucial in your business. We have to accept that you won’t blame someone if they are doing a mistake.
“It’s a culture, it’s not just a decision. We have to accept and take more risk, we have to manage these risks and we have to accept we will make mistakes. We will learn from this. We are in this process,” concludes the Ferrari boss.
Viva Las Vegas
Ferrari will be eyeing the return to Las Vegas with anticipation given the pace their car demonstrated over the inaugural race along the strip. Carlos Sainz was unlucky to hit a man hole cover nine minutes into FP1 which ruined his weekend due to the repairs requiring additional parts over his annual allocation.
The subsequent grid drop meant the Ferrari pair would not begin the Grand Prix with a front row lockout, as they had qualified. Sainz was relegated to P12 but battled through the field to claim a respectable sixth pace at the chequered flag.
All eyes will be on Red Bull in Sin City, their latest upgrades being in part responsible for Verstappen’s win last time out in Brazil. They too entered a development vortex with their upgraded floor in Belgium, but a new floor in Brazil may see their declining fortunes reversed.
EU brings bad news for Andretti
Wolff back tracks on Hamilton slur
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
