DO NOT FOCUS ONLY ON RESULTS

“SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR BEST IS ONLY GOOD ENOUGH FOR SECOND”

This might sound counter-intuitive, but strong results are the consequence of a focus on sound processes and resisting the temptation to overreach. Yes, there are times when you can choose to be a little more aggressive or slightly more conservative according to the competitive situation, but F1 teams are at their best when they rely on good decision-making and working practices. Technically, Ferrari has been very impressive in recent years, producing a strong car in 2017 that was particularly good on slower tracks, then building on that in ’18 with a machine that was stronger on a wider range of circuits. This suggests that, fundamentally, it is on the right path technically. Where things went wrong last year was with upgrades after the Italian Grand Prix, where the team gave off the air of overreaching itself. Not only did the parts not improve matters, but they sometimes made the car less competitive (falling back not just from Mercedes, but down towards Red Bull), and they were also a distraction. Exactly why these errors, related to the sealing of the floor among other problems, were made is not clear. But there’s every chance it was down to the pressure of the title fight and the need to catch up with Mercedes in the points. Mercedes, meanwhile, redoubled its efforts based on the practices and processes that had won it the previous four titles and was rewarded. Sometimes teams overreach. This was emphasised at Suzuka when a ridiculous gamble was made in qualifying of sending both Ferraris out in Q3 on wet-weather tyres on a dry track. Ultimately, it didn’t prove too costly, but sometimes you have to accept that your best is only good enough for second, and make sure you don’t risk dropping further back with a futile roll of the dice. If Ferrari focuses on getting the best out of what it’s got, something it was good at in the first half of last season, this will stand it in good stead.