Is Ferrari Still an Elite Team?
When you think of Formula 1 racing teams, chances are there is one name that comes to mind: Ferrari. They have been associated with the sport since its earliest days and are the most successful team of all time. The team has won 16 Constructors’ Championships and its drivers have won 15 Drivers’ Championships, both records within the sport. The list of drivers who have won championships for Ferrari reads like a who’s who of Formula 1 racing and includes such legendary names as Juan Manuel Fangio, Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascari.
The team won the Constructors’ Championship in 2008 but slipped back to fourth place in 2009. Most people thought that last season’s results were a flash in the pan – especially considering that the team was rocked in the middle of the season when Felipe Massa suffered a freak career-threatening injury and was knocked out for the rest of the season. 2010 looked to be a turnaround year for the team – Massa was healthy and the team’s cars were strong in testing. It seemed likely that Massa and his team mate Fernando Alonso would soon be back on top of the Formula 1 world.
Ferrari certainly had a perfect start to the 2010 season, as Alonso and Massa pulled off a one-two sweep at the season-opening race in Bahrain. Flash forward to the most recent Formula 1 race at the British Grand Prix, where the results were a perfect encapsulation of how the season has progressed since Bahrain. Alonso got off to a terrible start and later picked up a drive through penalty for an infraction while trying to pass Robert Kubica, and finished 14th. Meanwhile, Massa dealt with a punctured tire on the opening lap and couldn't recover, ending up 15th.
After a dream start to the season, Ferrari has slipped back to a distant third in the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship. Through Silverstone, the team has earned 165 total points. However, more than 40 per cent of the points were earned in the first two races of the season. In the four most recent rounds of the championship, the team has scored just 29 points.
The team’s struggles have begun to wear on the team. Alonso and the Ferrari team engaged in a public feud with Lewis Hamilton after an incident at the European Grand Prix. Team boss Stefano Domenicali admitted after the British Grand Prix that the team was “angry” with their recent performance. Some people have even suggested that Ferrari has been surpassed by teams like McLaren and Red Bull and might not deserve to be considered an “elite” team any more.
Such talk might be provocative but it likely isn’t very accurate. While Ferrari has struggled over the last few seasons they are still a team to take seriously. There are very few teams which have the money and the technical resources to compete that Ferrari has. The ban on in-season testing has hurt Ferrari this year as they have not been able to pour their vast resources toward making the car run better.
Much of the problem with the team has centred on Massa. Some people have questioned whether or not he has fully recovered from the injuries he suffered last year. He’s definitely faded since his second place finish in Bahrain. His 15th place finish at the British Grand Prix was the third consecutive race that he finished outside of the points. There was talk that Massa might be dropped before the end of the season but those statements were put to rest when he was recently signed to a contract extension.
Ferrari is currently in a rut and perhaps is in need of a change of leadership or drivers. However, the team is almost too big to fail. It’s a premier team in Formula 1 racing and will be as long as they are in the sport.
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