posted Jan 7, 2007

Pottiella, I'm not denying that Schumacher and Brawn are not losses or that their momentum will not help Ferrari next year. My argument is that they have gone and nobody can replace them or do the job they did. Instead Ferrari will change from being a team based around a driver to a team in which Raikkonen can slot into and thrive.

There are a few reasons for this.
1. Jean Todt is still the astute man-manager who plucked a double-world champion from a winning team and convinced him to come an ailing Ferrari. He is much more than a besotted romantic who merely watched on whilst Brawn and Schumacher took control.

2. Ferrari are now a completely different team to that of 1996. In 1996 they desperately needed a team leader like Schumacher to revolutionise from inside and out of the cockpit. Now they are a proficient and clinical team who need a fast driver capable of winning despite the changing circumstances and this is where Raikkonen comes in. Essentially Schumacher cannot be replaced so its not worth trying to, instead they need someone as equally as proficient and clinical as the team now is. Also the belief that Raikkonen is not capable of strategy or development is absolute nonsense. Raikkonen has often put his car where it doesn't deserve to be e.g. Belgium 2004, most of 2003. This was not purely down to speed but also strategy. Adrian Newey has also commented on how well Kimi can contribute to car development (admittedly when hes in the right mood) afterall he was driving throughout the development of the MP4/18 to MP4/20.

3. Philip Morris has ensured Ferrari's financial and future stability until 2011 which is more than can be said for Renault who essentially lost Alonso because the future stability could not be ensured. Moreover, Ferrari's relationship with Bridgestone will work to their advantage nothing can remove 8 years and 5 world championships of knowledge.

4. There is a huge amount of structural stability at Ferrari despite the loss of the big names. What is more the likes of Stefano Domenicali, Mario Almondo and Aldo Costa have learnt their trade over the past decade under Todt, Brawn and Byrne. Quite often Formula 1 becomes obsessed by the larger names and fails to recognise the workings and development that goes on underneath them.

Essentially the Ferrari of 2007 is too well organised, too well funded and too well staffed to fade into mediocrity. Admittedly the Ferrari of 2007 has only come about due to the fantastic job done by Schumacher and Brawn but it is now ready to be handed on to the next generation.

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posted Jan 8, 2007

MP4/4 - I admire your logic but cannot help believe you are mixing in a lot of wishful thinking. I would agree that Ferrari are doing the right thing in going with Kimi - he is clearly very quick and he will forge a new way for them rather than offer a poor copy of the MS team setup. That will not be an overnight event however and will involve a lot of change. Ferrari will still be a good team but I don't think they will be fast out from the blocks at the start of the season which will be more one of growing development for them.

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posted Jan 8, 2007

There is no reason why Ferrari will be slow at the syart of next season. Thier knowledge of Bridgestone and their close relationship will ensure they have every possible advantage in developing a race winning car from the start.

Considering the design team design team has changed very little, Byrne having taken a back seat since 2004, so the car should be quick straight away. Luca Badoer is often overlooked as one of the key members of Ferrari staff and he will ensure continuity in testing alongside Massa.

If any team is going to struggle with a lack of continuity it is McLaren with two new race drivers and no Newey, Prodromou, Tombazis. However, he new tyres appear as though they may favour McLaren. Renault too will struggle without a provenchampionship contender.

I would say it looks pretty rosey for Ferrari at the start of the season considering the position their competitors are in.

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posted Jan 9, 2007

You might be right and Ferrari might absorb these changes and move smoothly forward. I will be astonished if that happens though. The changes are few in number but very important and far-reaching. You have said yourself Kimi will be his own man and not a clone for MS, and that will introduce significant change in team culture and operational approach. Ross Brawn also leaves a huge hole to be filled while, although still there and engaged, Jean Todt has formally moved up in the hierarchy and has been replaced within the racing team. Changes to all the top positions means new leadership, new directions, new ways of doing things and the need to establish a new dynamic between these key players (which may or may not be helped by Todt intervening from above). The subtle relationships between the various players and groups at mid level in the team will also be changed (and these are far more complex and important than any formal organisation structure set out for the team) and will need time to reform while the internal "political" balance of the team will also be disrupted. These are likely to be far reaching changes that are difficult to manage. Several of Ferrari's key competitors also face changes but not to this extent. That is why I feel Honda, the only leading team with overall stability, should have a window of opportunity if only they can capitalise on it.

I think it is also wrong to suggest that Ferrari will have some advantage through their long standing relationship with Bridgestone. Other teams have strong links outside of F1, and in any case I suspect that at least to start off with Bridgestone will be being so careful to demonstrate an even handed approach to teams that those who were previously closest to them could actually be disadvantaged. That is quite a common syndrome. It should also not be overlooked that the new tyre will have very different properties to last years, being closer to the 2005 "endurance" tyres, which Ferrari have admitted caused them real difficulties the first time around. This is not an effort to bash Ferrari - rather an attempt at an objective view of what they face at the front end of this season.

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posted Jan 9, 2007

I dont think you can discount Massa. I think he will be better than Alonso this year. I have also thought Kimi was better than Alonso he just had a poor car. Lets see now the tables are turned who the true driver is.

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posted Jan 10, 2007

What a load of rubbish about MS being irreplaceable!.Massa was an average F1 driver until he got a Ferrari and suddenly he is beating MS.Any of the top ten drivers would have done the same or better!MS was totally overrated and only won because he had the whole team looking after him to the detriment of his team mate.

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posted Jan 10, 2007

Sportsmaninteractive I think you've misunderstood the whole argument. There was a reason why Schumacher had the whole team behind him, that reason was that he had created the whole team.

You don't take a team form where Ferrari were in 1996 to winning 4 consecutive WDC and 5 consecutive WCC without being pretty damn good. Admittedly on raw pace Schumacher may be equalled, he was certainly top 3 or 2 for the most of his career, but that is missing the reason why he was so great.

As for OB I think we're going to have to agree to disagree. I still belive the new set-up will work for one main reason, their not that new. All the main players (Domenicali, Almondo, Costa, Tombazis...) have worked together for the past decade and will not need to gel or change the way in which they work that much. Raikkonen (sorry about the repitition) will slot in perfectly because he doesn't need a familiar team to be fast, he just is (re: McLaren 2002).

As for the tyres if they are based on 2005 tyres one years knowledge that Ferrari will have is one more than everyone else and I doubt Ferrari will make the same mistakes twice. Many of the stories that came out in 2005 about Ferrari struggling to understand the Bridgestone tyres was Ferrari covering up Bridgestone's mistakes. Going to show the depth of the relationship between Ferrari and BS. The philosophy of construction that Bridgestone followed simply did not suit an endurance tyre add to that Michelin's expertise in endurance racing and Bridgestone were in trouble. The tyre of 2005 was still essentially bespoke designed for the Ferrari as have all the Bridgestone tyres of the past 6 or so years. This relationship is one of the core reasons why Ferrari dominated F1 in the early 2000s.

Bridgestone will try to show an even handed approach but I doubt this will result in Ferrari being disadvantaged. Remember the Ferrari mechanics know the Bridgestone technicians, those relationships are already in place and as a result will act as an advantage especially early on in the year. If I'm going to be cynical I could suggest that Bridgestone want Ferrari to win as their name is most associated with Ferrari and so from an advertisiong point of view a Ferrari win will be most beneficial.

For these reasons the Scuderia will win from the start and as I mentioned in my first article the years of Schumacher will become a pleasant but distant memory.

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posted Jan 10, 2007

MP4/4 has made a valid point. l think Kimi's moody attitude would fit into the new team better than the old Schumacher motivated one. He can never be as uplifting as Schumi, he just likes to get the job done with little fuss and for this matter l think the new team would suit him. The Ferrari certainly wasn't slow towards the end of last season so l dont see them being slow and their Bridgestone alliance might just give them an added advantage. Besides, Kimi and Massa would be fighting to outdo each other to claim No1 status in the team so it should be fun.
I think Mclaren would come out strong. Alonso being as good as he is should be able to make the best of the car, which is already looking fast anyway. Hamilton is a bit of a question mark cuz he might turn out to be a good signing and help Alonso or he might turn out to be a complete rookie. we'll see. as for Fisi, l don't know why he's even thinking abt the world championship. Heiki is going to give him a good run for his money. Jenson is looking good but with him nobody is sure what he'll be up to. this season should be a cracking one. l'm pretty sure we're gonna have a variety of winners.

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posted Feb 10, 2007

erm, who gives a stuff about fiat, oops sorry ferrai, would like sir frank and his boys to bounce back, but my fav team is mclaren, and driver is the iceman, shame he drives a fiat, fisi a waste of space, so renault have a hard job to maintain the standard alonso had, honda could be the suprise package this year, then there is red bull, mark webber is underrated, look out dc, roll on march, winter months are so boring,

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posted Feb 10, 2007

yup i agree there isnt a driver who could fill ms shoes, or would want to, lets think on that, if i cant win legally, lets cheat, try and knock out hill,vilenuve, jpm,park my car @ monoco. call everyone else on the track cheats, sorry fiat and ms can kiss my ****,

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