Ferrari organizational structure: utopian "dynamic stability" that without talent condemns to mediocrity
08/10/2024 08:21 AM
For Scuderia Ferrari, the recent Formula 1 championships have been marked by Swiss punctuality: with the arrival of summer, the sporting season is unfortunately already devoid of concrete objectives, despite the leveling of the playing field. At the same time, it is precisely during this period that speculations about the coming year intensify. For those with some experience, the Prancing Horse seems to have returned to being the team of the early ’90s, where sporadic success fueled irrational enthusiasm, only to be promptly dashed by resounding defeats in the following weekends.
Frederic Vasseur is trying to transfer to Scuderia Ferrari the mindset that made him a successful manager in the feeder series. Since his arrival, the organizational structure of the team has been completely revolutionized. Some technicians chose to leave voluntarily, others accepted a demotion like Spanish engineer Inaki Rueda, who was the Head of Race Strategy until last year, while others slammed the door. The most recent example is the former technical director of the Italian team, Italian aerodynamicist Enrico Cardile. There is also a point to be made that not many keep in mind but should.
Around the figure of the French Formula 1 manager, the image of a man of equal ability to his more renowned colleagues was quickly built. However, at least for the moment, it is reasonable to have some reservations. We are not talking about a general opinion based on sporting results. It would be too easy and unfair to make such a statement towards the Ferrari team principal regarding recent events. The alarm was raised when the figure assigned to the technical direction of the historic Maranello team’s sports management suddenly left the position.
Yet, Enrico Cardile’s promotion seemed to be a sign of confidence in the capabilities of the Italian technician from Arezzo. Before him, other engineers had left Ferrari, but everything seemed to be part of the Maranello team’s physiological organizational reshuffle. A sort of necessary clean-up to make room for fresh minds not affected by Ferrari’s recent failures. At least that was the feeling from the outside, as the prerogative of a Formula 1 team that wants to return to greatness is based on the renewal of its various working areas.
Several figures have joined Maranello. However, frankly, at least for now, to be as honest as possible, they don't seem to have made the so-called difference at all. And this isn’t just our opinion but is based on the careers of these professionals. There’s a lot of talk about the arrival of Loic Serra, for example, who may have a five-letter surname like Adrian Newey’s, but despite attempts to present him as a true magician of tires and suspensions, he was let go by Mercedes without a lot of regret.
In short, the Lewis Hamilton move risks being a luxury for a Formula 1 team that fails to attract the best minds in the series. But another doubt is beginning to creep into the minds of fans and enthusiasts in general. The question that naturally arises is this: in the silent complicity of those in the know, are we really sure that Frederic Vasseur is up to the mission entrusted to him? Did John Elkann make the right choice in selecting the former Alfa Romeo boss? Perhaps it's still too early to tell, but as mentioned, there are certainly doubts.
"Changing every six months doesn't work. Success stories in F1 have been built on stability. The best example is Jean Todt, who went through difficult years before achieving victory, but the winning period lasted a very long time," said the French manager during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. The paradigm of "dynamic stability" was one of the key principles of Luca di Montezemolo's presidency, excellently implemented by Jean Todt. It's a process of continuous improvement applied to human resources.
A measure capable of ensuring continuity and the necessary generational turnover, rewarding talent. The first phase of Frederic Vasseur's tenure in Formula 1 has been far from stability-oriented, instead showing a certain tendency towards the commutative property. To be intellectually honest, it must be admitted that even under Ravin Jain's supervision, Ferrari's strategies have sometimes been incomprehensible. The same goes for Bryan Bozzi, Charles Leclerc’s new race engineer, who seems to have adopted a communication style very similar to the one that characterized the long collaboration between the Monegasque driver and Xavi Marcos.
Where a real step forward has been noticed is in the ability to develop the car at a faster pace, an area coordinated precisely by former Ferrari technical director Enrico Cardile. However, the internal reshuffling hasn't substantially changed the situation. Furthermore, there is growing suspicion that Formula 1 technicians from rival teams do not find the prospect of moving to Maranello exciting, not only for logistical reasons but also because they do not believe in the Ferrari project under Frederic Vasseur's leadership. Stability is a virtue only when the resources available are excellent. Otherwise, it risks being a true self-condemnation to mediocrity.
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