TECHNICAL RESTRUCTURE AT FERRARI
Ferrari has announced a restructure of its technical department in recent weeks and moved to quash speculation about a growing rift between team management and former lead driver Sebastian Vettel.
It was also at pains to point out that the restructure – which includes a new performance development department headed up by aerodynamics chief Enrico Cardile – does not preface old-school Ferrari hirings and firings. Team principal Mattia Binotto, who is stepping back from his involvement in technical matters as part of the new organisation, described it as “reaffirming the company’s faith in its technical talent pool”.
Apart from the creation of the new department and a change in the structure of who reports to whom, little has changed in terms of personnel. Simone Resta, who returned to Ferrari in mid-2019 after a year as technical director at Alfa Romeo, remains in charge of the chassis department, while engine development remains the bailiwick of Enrico Gualtieri.
GP Racing understands the detail of the new structure is focused on simplified reporting lines, and a clarification of responsibilities, to combat the kind of political infighting between departments which has long been a feature at Ferrari. An official statement spoke airily – if non-specifically – about “a more holistic emphasis on performance development” and “a chain of command that is more focused and simplified and provides the heads of each department the necessary powers to achieve their objectives”.
The performance development department will assume responsibility for technical development, with a mandate to accelerate the process. In several recent seasons, updates have failed to deliver the anticipated performance gains. Experienced heads including Rory Byrne and David Sanchez will have input into the newly refined process.
But even at the highest level, Ferrari is under no illusions that the restructure will bring rapid change to a racing effort that is in trouble on many levels. Chairman John Elkann said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport: “This year we are not competitive thanks to project errors. We have had a number of structural weaknesses that have existed for some time in aerodynamics and in the dynamics of the vehicle. We have also lost out in engine power.
“The reality is that our car is not competitive. You saw it on the track and you will see it again. Today we are laying the foundations for being competitive and returning to winning when the rules change in 2022. I am convinced of this.”
This timescale will be too long for under-pressure driver Vettel, who will leave the team this year. Vettel has found the SF1000 particularly difficult to drive, exacerbated by a shift to a lower-downforce aero package, and he has appeared at loggerheads with the team at recent races – often engaging in long periods of radio silence, punctuated by vociferous berations.
In recent events at Silverstone and Barcelona Vettel quarrelled with the team over strategy calls in a tone that indicated immense frustration on the part of the driver. But Binotto