
Groundhog Day at Maranello – Ferrari and the self-fulfilling prophecy of F1 disappointment
Groundhog Day at Maranello – Ferrari and the self-fulfilling prophecy of F1 disappointment

For all the change that Formula 1 goes through year after year, some elements seem to remain the same...
One constructor nailing a regulation change, fans feeling frustrated at a circuit's omission, talented drivers limited by their underperforming team, and, particularly in recent times, a revolving door at the top of Ferrari.
Frederic Vasseur hasn't spent enough time at Maranello for the Italian team to know his preferred coffee order. Yet, there is already discourse within the F1 world about his longevity at Ferrari's helm.
I'll note that, unlike his predecessors, that debate comes from speculation that the Frenchman will voluntarily walk away from internal politics as he did with Renault in 2016 rather than Ferrari nudging him towards the gangplank.
With the season barely underway, it's all very premature, particularly with Ferrari's opening round suggesting that they most likely remain the second-quickest team in F1 for 2023 despite Aston Martin's advances and any Charles Leclerc power unit problems.
READ MORE: Ferrari aerodynamics chief OUT as Bahrain fallout continues
The uniqueness of Ferrari
Every top job at a prominent sporting organisation brings scrutiny. Ferrari, however, could be the most under-the-microscope team in the world, with Italy seeing the Scuderia as a symbol of Italian pride.

Yet, by Vasseur publicly heading to France's AutoHebdo to shut down the rumblings of discontent reported in Italian media, therefore deliberately sidestepping the same papers bringing attention to the alleged unhappiness, he's already drawing battle lines — in March.
The issue I foresee with the post-Bahrain media stories about reported unhappiness within Ferrari at CEO Benedetto Vigna's alleged F1 team interference is the Italian press creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of disappointment.
Whether that comes from Vasseur walking or junior members at Scuderia Ferrari previously unaware of these organisational problems becoming disillusioned in their role is too soon to say. But the latter may lead to another error-prone season and thus make the new Team Principal's position unnecessarily untenable.
The revolving Maranello door...
For a long-time F1 viewer, this talk about Vasseur's reign reaching an end coming so soon after the rumours of Ferrari showing Mattia Binitto the door just feels like the usual Groundhog Day that's affected Maranello ever since Jean Todt's 2007 departure.
Stefano Domenicali, now Formula 1's CEO, was the man to replace Todt in 2008. The subsequent World Constructors' Championship title remains Ferrari's most recent crown, but Domenicali's reign mostly brought near misses, most notably with Fernando Alonso's 2010 and 2012 title heartbreaks.

In hindsight, especially with Ferrari's disastrous 2020 season still within memory, it seems laughable that 2013's P3 championship finish and a trio of points-scoring 2014 races are what triggered Domenicali's 'resignation'.
A seven-month stint was all that successor Marco Mattiacci had to turn Domenicali's close shaves into something resembling the Michael Schumacher-era glory years.
Without having any say in the 2014 car concept, the winless F14 T, Ferrari sacked Mattiacci, effectively rendering the season where they lost Fernando Alonso even more pointless.
That year also saw Luca di Montezemolo choose to leave Maranello, and Alonso, I suspect, knew of the internal chaos, aiding his decision to wave goodbye to the in-fighting.
Maurizio Arrivabene took charge, and over four years with the new Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen line-up, he guided Ferrari to three P2 finishes in the championship, with his worst season in 2016 still good enough for P3.
The Arrivabene years were meant to represent a change in mentality from short-term thinking that then-Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne had originally described by saying: "the road ahead will be neither short nor easy."
READ MORE: Ferrari to pursue ‘difficult’ single-pillar rear wing design improvements

The 2018 season saw Sebastian Vettel repeatedly led the previously-insurmountable turbo-hybrid Mercedes in a genuine title fight. But mistakes from the German and the team let Lewis Hamilton take his fifth title, and Ferrari sacked Arrivabene in favour of Binotto.
I'll note that 2018 represents Ferrari's highest-scoring points season since the 2010 points system change.
Whether you think Ferrari could've fought a sustained championship fight without the 2022 strategy blunders or not, Binotto's direction helped the Scuderia go from 2020 no-hopers to repeat winners and polesitters in only two years. And now Binotto has gone.
What must happen next...
For all the desire that Italy has to see Ferrari return to the heights of the early 2000s or the late 1970s, creating an atmosphere where repeatedly changing the management is a viable option isn't the way.
Between 2014 and 2020, current champions Red Bull went through the same dark times as Ferrari, if not darker, yet Christian Horner remains the man in charge at Milton Keynes today.
That consistency over the last decade sees Horner now guiding the best team by far, while Ferrari is still left scratching their head, wondering what's gone wrong, as they appoint their fifth Team Principal in the same period and get embroiled in more media chaos.
It's time for a change at Ferrari, and that change is not changing.
READ MORE: F1 boasts $2.5bn revenue amid continued popularity boom
Related news

Schumacher points to Hamilton's 'CLOSE RELATIONSHIP' at Ferrari amid potential switch

Hamilton to Ferrari? Timing's never been better for BLOCKBUSTER F1 move

Marko insists Hamilton NEEDS Ferrari switch to beat Verstappen

Hapless Leclerc misfires after good work from Sainz
Most read

F1 drivers' penalty points: Who is close to a ban?

Verstappen and Hamilton run each other OFF as Red Bull star left MOANING and Vettel returns to Aston Martin - GPFans F1 Recap

Leclerc drops BOMBSHELL over Ferrari contract talks

'Insane' Hamilton PARTIES with A-listers amid Ferrari speculation as F1 heavyweight says he MUST MOVE to beat Verstappen - GPFans F1 Recap

F1 guru Newey delivers huge WARNING about 2026 regulation changes
F1 Standings

Races
-
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2023
-
Grand Prix of China 2023
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
-
Miami Grand Prix 2023
-
Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
-
Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
-
Grand Prix of Spain 2023
-
Grand Prix of Canada 2023
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2023
-
Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
-
Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2023
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2023
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2023
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
-
Grand Prix of Brazil 2023
-
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media

7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860