Ferrari, victory in the medium term, the authoritarian turn of the new Marchionne...

More than a Christmas lunch, the one at Ferrari was a settling of scores, towards oneself, towards one's mistakes, with the aim of setting precise limits, of clarifying things, of entrusting hermetic words to the wise ear of those who listen, but they are a rather clear message, it's all about knowing how to interpret them.

Sergio Marchionne is a different president from the bold and Garibaldian one of 2015. He learned at his expense how difficult it is to do Formula 1, forgetting the improvident proclamations of conquest of a year ago, but above all by explaining the philosophy of certain choices that they still make today discuss.

The first, undoubtedly, is the now famous horizontal organization of work in the Racing Department, with the decisive repudiation of a pyramid model entrusted to the hand of a high-level technical director. “I said certain things because I trusted those who assured me that we were ahead of the competition. Replacing Allison with Binotto was the right thing." Marchionne explains that he was burned by the "pyramid" that was supposed to lead him to victory. The relationship between him and James Allison was irreparably compromised due to the lack of transparency and some information that later turned out to be incorrect. Marchionne thus decided to enter into the mechanisms himself, giving an authoritarian twist to the team, that's why "We don't need Paddy Lowe“. It will be yours to design the glowing red beauties praetorians, who will keep it updated, without secrets or unspoken truths.

In giving the new working group the utmost confidence, the president himself indirectly confirmed the rumors that Ferrari is behind the competition, as we anticipated. The realist turn should only be appreciated, and is probably the basis for a more "red" and less "grey" future. And yet Marchionne spoke of successes in the medium term, effectively skipping over 2017 which will in fact be a year of transition, or adjustment if you prefer. The president, at the same time, assumed all the responsibility for the Cavallino's next results, relieving the team from the enormous pressure of the environment on the one hand and sealing his dominated. This, more than that of the 2015-2016 two-year period, will be Sergio Marchionne's Ferrari, founded on his ideas, without compromising.

Even on the Vettel side the situation is quite clear. For 2017, Sebastian fully embraced Ferrari red like the serious professional he is, but it is unthinkable to get him a renewal for 2018 without a winning project on the horizon. The parties will be updated during the ongoing season, with Marchionne admitting that Ferrari is also looking around. This is also a rather clear message: the Red team believes in the four-time world champion, but will not be able to keep him reluctantly. If the German prefers to set sail towards less troubled waters, Maranello will have no choice but to take note of it. After all, both to win and to retain such champions you need the machine, and the president understood this quite well. But to design a winning car you need stability and planning over time, and the fans must understand this. With trust, but a lot of patience.

Antonino Rendina

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