Fiat Chrysler CEO and now new Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne vows the Italian team will fight back under his leadership following on from the departure of Luca di Montezemolo.
With Marchionne at the helm, some fear the return of the bean-counters and men in suits that oversaw a long, lean period in the F1 shadows that covered much of the eighties and early nineties, Marchionne appears to be taking his team’s return to the front very seriously.
“We’ve got to kick some ass and we’ve got to do it quickly. It takes what it takes. We might screw up, but we’ve got nothing to lose, right? Let’s risk something.”
“I keep getting reminded racing is not a science, that a number of factors influence performance,” he added. “Then I go to Monza and see the first six cars are not Ferrari or powered by a Ferrari engine, and my blood pressure just popped.
“A non-winning Ferrari on the F1 track is not Ferrari. I can live with periods of bad luck, but it cannot become a structural element of the brand. That continues to be my main objective in terms of Ferrari going forward.”
Unfortunately, strong fighting words from the top do not make up for personnel that are lacking, compared to their opposite numbers in other teams.
Michael Schumacher had the ability to fire up a technical group around him to make for the winning team. Can Vettel do this? Or did Vettel win the championships because he joined the best team that was already there?
