Ferrari announces key changes to its structure
Following its low-key start to the delayed 2020 F1 season, Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has announced key changes to the organisation’s technical department.
Ferrari has endured a rather difficult start to the coronavirus-delayed 2020 season with scoring only 27 points in the opening three grands prix in contrast to the points tally of 121 points of the field-leading Mercedes. While the team was in contention for pole positions and race victories in 2019 on many tracks, the picture has very much changed for the worse as the Maranello-based team has been struggling so far to get out of Q2 in the qualifying sessions.
Following the Hungarian Grand Prix in which both Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc got lapped by race winner Lewis Hamilton, the Scuderia has now announced shake-up to its technical team. The team has instituted a chain of command that is more focused and simplified and provides the heads of each department the necessary powers to achieve their objectives” in order to render its technical department more effective.
Ferrari has also established a new Performance Development department, headed up by Enrico Cardile. The other main areas are unchanged with Enrico Gualtieri in charge of the Power Unit, Laurent Mekies as Sporting Director and in charge of trackside activities, while Simone Resta will continue to lead the Chassis Engineering department.
With the changes, the Scuderia wants to assure a more holistic emphasis on performance development.
Team Principal and Managing Director Scuderia Ferrari Mattia Binotto said: "As hinted at a few days ago, we are making changes to the technical side of the organisation so as to speed up the design and development on the car performance front.
„A change of direction was needed to define clear lines of responsibility and working processes, while reaffirming the company’s faith in its technical talent pool. The department run by Enrico Cardile will be able to count on the experience of Rory Byrne and established engineers such as David Sanchez. It will be the cornerstone of the car’s development. We believe Ferrari personnel are of the highest level and we have nothing to envy about our main competitors in this respect, but we had to make a decisive change, raising the bar in terms of the responsibilities of the department heads.”
The Swiss-Italian has indicated that his team has to prepare itself for further technical setbacks, but he fully believes that Ferrari is capable of getting back to winning ways once the relatively young structure of the Scuderia gains experience.
“We have said it several times, but it’s worth repeating: we have started to lay the foundations of a process which should lead to a new and enduring winning cycle. It will take some time and we will suffer setbacks like the one we are experiencing right now in terms of results and performance. However, we must react to these shortcomings with strength and determination to get back to being at the very top of this sport as soon as possible. This is what we all want and what our fans all over the world expect of us,” Binotto concluded.
