Ferrari.
Ferrari, that infamous name associated with formula 1. As I'm writing this we are heading to to the Canadian Grand Prix weekend 2018. Currently Ferrari sit 2nd in the championship and their number one also sits second to only the world champion. If Ferrari don't win the championship, constructors it will be 10 years without. And if they don't win the driver's championship it will be 11 years since they took one. Ferrari, they are the biggest name in formula 1, they have been around since the very beginning of our sport. Now they threaten to leave if they do not get their way. But they are 11 years without a championship. But it was only 14 years ago they had won the championship 5 years in a row. I'm going to explore what's gone, wrong and go through the Ferrari, history which is key to this story. I will explore where it has gone wrong in 8 parts.
THE GREATEST STORY EVERY TOLD
In the 1950s Ferrari were not the best team on the grid, and the same for 1960s as it was dominated by British driver and British teams. They of course had Mike Hawthorn who, won the championship 1958 with Ferrari. But in the 1960s Ferrari didn't get too close to the championship. Nor did they in the first part of the 1970s but then came along aman, who led them to one of, if the not greatest story ever told. Niki Lauda. He drove for Ferrari from 1947-1977. In his second year he claimed the championship for the scuderia. But the most famous story surrounding the now Mercedes man, is the story of 1976, if you haven't seen rush by this point, then what are you doing with yourselves. Buy in 1976 the battle between the British playboy, James Hunt, and the quite Austrian man, reached boiling point. The pair fought it out all season for the championship, it all came to ahead when the 1976 German grand Prix took place and Lauda crashed his Ferrari, which burst into flames. Amazingly he survived, but Hunt had taken the lead in the championship, at this point. But only six weeks after Lauda's crash, he was racing again! That's what makes this the greatest story ever told. It just does not get more amazing than his story and I had to include it in this post, because it's really a story and half. But Ferrari played a part in it. And it adds to that ideal that Ferrari are very much a big part to play in the history of this sport. But still Ferrari lacked something. They couldn't achieve the success that other teams reached and they were not clinching championships left right and center and Enzo always said:
Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines
Could this have been a reason Ferrari were not clenching those championship trophies?
NOTHING...HOWEVER
In 1979, Ferrari claimed the championship again with Jody Schecter in 1979, just two years after they'd claim the championships with Lauda. The 1980s well they were not much for Ferrari yet again. However they claimed 2 consecutive constructors titles in 1982 and 1983. But 1982, did not come all too easily. As in 82, they lost Gilles Villeneuve , whom was one of the greatest drivers ever, and at the Canadian GP this weekend we celebrate 40 years since he won at the Candida Grand Prix, which was a first for a Canadian at his home, and also Gilles' first win. the 1980s did not want to treat Ferrari well. As in 1988, they lost their founder, Enzo Ferrari. A man whom very much shaped the sport along with other, but was part of those men whom shaped the sport we watch today. But again why did, the greatest team in formula 1 struggle to reach the heights of their fierce rivals. Well simply because some teams were better than them, they had better drivers, with more talent locked in them. McLaren were the team to beat toward the back end of the 1980s, they shared a pair with whom were unstoppable and one of the greatest rivalries the sport has seen. Ferrari, lacked the engine and/or chassis to compete with this team.
COULD IT BE
The 1980s were a heard time for Ferrari, as they struggled to beat teams such as McLaren, whom ran a Honda engine and had Alain Prost and Aytron Senna battling away in their car. But what did Ferrari want, and what did they need? The need some luck and maybe a better driver? So they took on Alain Prost, he was at this point a 3-time-world champion. What more did they need, they saw this man as an answer for sure. But, they couldn't beat Ayrton Senna, they just could get past him or that McLaren. Prost was eventually fired for his criticism of the Ferrari car. The in 1993 they hired the now head of FIA Jean Todt, they took him on as their team principle, but even he could not get passed the McLaren, the Williams or the Benetton. Ferrari certainly were not getting passed the young boy driving a Benetton, and the Benetton team principle his strategies were unbeatable right?
THE SWITCH
In 1996, Ferrari took their driver line up and threw it away, taking on two new drivers in 1996- Micheal Schumacher and Eddie Irvine. Then in their team there was some mixing up to be done, as they then took on Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, whom followed Schumacher from Bentton. What did Ferrari want more than an already two-time-world-champion. The years that fellowed in the 90s were not everything, but they were building. in 1997, they lost the championship to a suprising Williams team and Villnueve In 1999 they took the constructors but could not law that driver's title from McLaren has Hakkinen took it for a second year in a row. However Ferrari were about to enter the greatest era they ever could imagine. The team has taken 4 years to create one of the best teams F1 would/could see and even though they couldn't beat McLaren and Williams at first it would all go their way soon...
RECORD AFTER RECORD AFTER RECORD
One of the most ionic teams in formula one has now taken a driver's title in 21 years. It almost seemed now as big a deal in the 1990s, as teams such as Brabaham were still around racing but the 2000s, this is what made every kid want to race in the red car. Ross Brawn, the man I consider the best team principle to ever enter this sport it seems like he does it with all his team, but I'll talk more about that later, he had brilliant tyre strategies and certainly was one of the guys Schumacher relied on. In 2000, the team welcomed Rubens Barichello, Ayrton Senna's protege. 2000 onward well this team was unstoppable. Micheal Schumacher was fully unstoppable, he was one of the greatest in the sport in 2000 he took his total of championships up to 3. But in this year, at the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher matched and got ready to break his first of many records at Ferrari. In Monza, he equaled Senna on wins (41) and that infamous moment of Schumacher in tears happened, where he cried all because he equal, the man I consider "GOAT" Ayrton Senna.
Yes, It does mean a lot to me. Sorry
In 2001, Ferrari continued to have another season in front, taking 9 wins and Schumacher and Ferrari won both championships again. Then came 2002, where Ferrari blew everyone out the water winning 15 out of 17 races. But along came that controversial US Grand Prix, with the team order coming in for Barichello to move. The closest ever finish happen with 0.011s between them. 2003, was not as easy due to McLaren's resurgence but they secured it. The 2004, they won in dominant fashion again. And Schumacher secured his 7th and final world championship, breaking all the records along the way, but he wasn't done yet. But 2005, and 2006, there was a change. A big one. A young Spanish guy was on the scene and he managed to go and get two back to back world championships. And by the end of 2006, Schumacher was being pushed out by Ferrari for a young Finnish guy and Ross Brawn, well he want to take sabbatical, and so he did. This is where it all went wrong for Ferrari. They were about to lose everything they need, now I'm going to get into it.
IT IS GONE
2007 saw a new guy at Ferrari. Kimi Räikkönen. also Felipe Massa. But this is when everything started to change. Win rate, pole rate and championship rate. 1 drivers championship, 2 constructors championship. It was all going wrong for Ferrari. In 2007, they only won the constructor by virtue of Fernando Alonso revealing all the crap McLaren had stored away. But at the end of 2007, ferrari completely revamped there team. And the structure at ferrari was gone. They let Jean Todt depart and they could not get Brawn back so, Ferrari in the garage were really lacking structure and the team they need. Ross Brawn really knew strategy and knew how to run a team and so did Jean Todt. But Ferrari, werenow lacking this lack of brilliance and masterminds behind their team. Because if their was one thing that 1996-2006 team could do it was mastermind. Just look they masterminded5 back to back double championships. There is no doubt in my mind that team at Ferrari in the golden era had everything to do with their wins and they way they went around winning The revamp at Ferrari didn't work out, and there team were a bit all over the place really. in 2008, they didn't secure the Driver's championship due to someone slowing down on the last lap. We've all seen it. And that was their last time getting a championship. In 2009, their once amazing team principle was now sat with his own team and a driver whom had once drove loyally to them. Ultimately they couldn't get anywhere near the Brawn GP team.
THE INTER-TEAM BATTLE?
From 2010 onward, Kimi was replaced by Alonso. But this left a battle in the team itself, Massa Vs Alonso. They were not realistically challenging for the championship apart from 2010, when everyone and their mother just had to win in Abu Dhabi to win the formula 1 driver's title. Which clearly went to now Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. But this goes really personal opinion based, but my whole blog does. But, in 2010, there is just something I can never forgive Ferrari for. I just cannot forgive them. So its the German GP in 2010 and Massa was leading the race, and he did win a race all season in 2010. But the message across Ferrari team radio was:
"Fernando is faster than you"
This was from me, something I don't and didn't expect out of Ferrari. It was rather clearly team orders, even though they denied due to team orders being illegal. But it sticks in my mind and for a while I could not stand the way Ferrari went about running their team, it became stuck with me forever. I hated the way they did this. I hated that they did this. But the battle between Massa and Alonso was it their? Yes but did Ferrari have latch on whom they considered the number 1, most definitely. However I just was disappointed Ferrari did this to Massa. But anyway, moving on. Ferrari, they just were not able to beat Red Bull, their was no chance of getting close to them. To start off with Red Bull, really had a better team structure, they had a battle between their drivers but RB had a team of brilliance and they were just unbeatable. Yet, again Ferrari continued to lack a structure of their team.
THE BIG RETURN
So, the 2010s hit, and Mercedes, they returned to the sport since 1955. But this matters because I said I'd talk of this earlier in the post, because Mercedes post 2014 were not all that good. But not only did Mercedes return, so did the record man. The Ferrari man, Micheal Schumacher. But Ross Brawn he came in as the team principle of the team, as he was bough out buy Mercedes of his championship winning team Brawn GP. But Mercedes, they built toward this amazing, team and engine. This is exactly want Brawn did years before with Ferrari he built this team, starting with Schumacher, and built these team almost around him as he followed from Benetton. This is what makes Ross Brawn, Ross Brawn, if he knew he'd be around a while, he didn't just waste the time waiting, he waited, he took his time. He got in Lewis Hamilton to partner Rosberg, because back then Rosberg and Hamilton actually liked each other, they were like best friends back then. But Brawn left this team in the perfect place for Toto Wolff to come in and take over. That's what Ferrari lacked in 2006, they didn't leave that team in the perfect place, they left it unstable and not ready, with two young drivers, taking over from an era of pure dominance. Now Mercedes, they dominante, may not so this year. Bit 2010-2017, their win rate stands at 42.3% compared to Ferrari's 11.5%. But in 2000-2006 they were at a win rate of 45.9%. It really has dropped and Ferrari have dropped. In 2014, not one race was won by Ferrari... not one race.
But in 2017, they finally looked to be back. Their team structure finally seems to be good. They have two driver whom have respect for each other and have a good relationship. It finally seems good again. But, whether they'll reach that championship this year, I'm not sure yet because we are six races in and it's a crazy season. But Ferrari, they are always going to be the Formula 1 team, they certainly are. But it seems their fans are sick of waiting. They want a championship, they need the championship because it been too long.
But I think a lot hoped they'd get their last season, however, reliability gave this team the problems. If they don't win this year, I don't know what I will think of Ferrari anymore, it will be this lack of structure and lack of care in the team that will have cost them. Can Ferrari finally win the championship again?
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