Ferrari has acted quickly by announcing changes to the technical department after a bad start to the 2020 Formula 1 season.
A total of 27 points from the first three races represents their lowest using the current system since 1993, and currently sees the Italian team fifth in the Constructors’ standings behind teams like McLaren and Racing Point.
The problems at Ferrari are multiple, from an engine that has lost a chunk of power as a result of technical directives issued by the FIA late last year to a chassis that is focused on downforce but is draggy and remains some way off the benchmark set by Mercedes.
And after finishing a full lap behind Lewis Hamilton at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, that has been the catalyst the Scuderia into taking immediate action to try and rectify the slide.
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In a statement on Wednesday, Ferrari did exactly as team boss Mattia Binotto said by altering the technical department at Maranello without any firings and put the emphasis on “performance development”.
“This has been achieved by instituting a chain of command that is more focused and simplified and provides the heads of each department the necessary powers to achieve their objectives,” it read.
“To this end, it 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.”
Commenting on the changes, Binotto said: “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.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
Ferrari has come under pressure, not least from former president Luca di Montezemolo, who claimed the management structure at Ferrari left Binotto “too alone” and was “not good in today’s Formula 1”.
With development also limited by a new token system aimed at reducing costs at this time of coronavirus though, it will be interesting to see what impact this has on the Italian team as they try to close the gap to the front.