Ferrari launched their new Formula One car on Saturday, the beautiful looking F14-T. It looks like it should win races but, as we all know, you need more than a work of art on wheels to pick up the world championship.
This is a new turbo era for Formula One with 1.6 litre V6 engines and revised aerodynamics so all the teams are venturing into the unknown, all hoping they have managed to get the most out of the fresh rules, without breaking them, although expect plenty of arguments about that.
For Ferrari, who have not won the driver’s world title since 2007, this season is crucially important after so long playing second fiddle to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull.
There is unquestionably a lot of pressure on team principal Stefano Domenicali and he would do well to cast a glance in the direction of McLaren, another team where second place is considered the first of the losers.
McLaren have had a clear out. Team principal Martin Whitmarsh has apparently been given his marching orders after five unsuccessful seasons with a car that was woefully off the pace.
Ron Dennis, a man who does not take prisoners in his quest for perfection, is back as CEO. The new principal is expected to be Eric Boullier who has just quit the same job with Lotus. An annoucement on that is expected in the next few days during testing in Jerez.
With Dennis back at the helm there is already talk of a new mood of optimism within the team so expect to see a marked improvement this season.
The point I am making is that McLaren don’t tolerate failure of the sort we saw last season when the best result they could conjure up was fourth. Dennis has taken the appropriate action and I am only surprised it took him this long to make his move when it was obvious the team was floundering.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso may have finished second to Red Bull in the past two seasons but as the marque’s president, Luca di Montezemolo, said on Sunday, that is still considered failure and they are sick of finishing as runners-up.
To be honest I did not expect Do-menicali to keep his job at Ferrari last season but he obviously retains the confidence of Montezemolo, a perfectionist like Ron Dennis, for the time being.
So, Ferrari have a car that looks like it should do the business, although they all look cool in their own way, and two drivers who are arguably the best on the grid. Alonso, who has managed to get the most out of the machinery he has been given over the past two seasons, teams up with Kimi Raikkonen, the last driver to take the world crown back to Maranello.
It has been a long six years without the excellence that Ferrari and the Tifosi demand; a seventh season without success could see the Prancing Horse in the mood to kick someone out of the stable.
Domenicali has to deliver the driver’s title this season because if he doesn’t he may well be joining Martin Whitmarsh in looking for a new job. Let’s hope this Ferrari is as good as it looks because, let’s face it, apart from anything else, we’re all tired of watching Vettel and Red Bull leaving everyone else in their wake.
