Scuderia Ferrari 2014

[basti313]

What interests me is, all the things people are saying about how it's a massive risk alonso leaving Ferrari for mclaren, wasn't the same said about Hamilton leaving mclaren for Mercedes? Look at how that panned out.....

Mercedes used a rule change to build a WC winning car. Like Brawn, like Redbull.
Which rule change will McLaren use to build a WC winning car for Alonso?
Ferrari is in a much better situation. They have a working car, they have a working engine. They will improve chassis integration and their engine.

The big question is, why should Alonso leave Ferrari. I do not buy this at all, I think Alo and Vet will stay where they are. But IF they move, there will be a good reason.

[diffuser]

What interests me is, all the things people are saying about how it's a massive risk alonso leaving Ferrari for mclaren, wasn't the same said about Hamilton leaving mclaren for Mercedes? Look at how that panned out.....

Mercedes used a rule change to build a WC winning car. Like Brawn, like Redbull.
Which rule change will McLaren use to build a WC winning car for Alonso?
Ferrari is in a much better situation. They have a working car, they have a working engine. They will improve chassis integration and their engine.

The big question is, why should Alonso leave Ferrari. I do not buy this at all, I think Alo and Vet will stay where they are. But IF they move, there will be a good reason.

I agree with Basti313. I will add that many technical people were leaving McLaren and heading to Merc.

Thing's have also gone their way ..The harder tires at the end of last year helped them. This year the tires are hard than last year, again aiding them.

McLaren on the other hand has the best engine this year , while Ferrari arguably the worst and Ferrari is way out in front of them. So the Chassis/Aero/Downforce seems to be way ahead on Ferrari. You'd think with the same engine as McLaren Ferrari would be competing with Merc.

[f1316]

Wow, so can't believe I'm the first to comment on this here - i.e. now we're pretty sure Vettel's going to Ferrari, leaving the very strong impression that Alonso is leaving for McLaren.

I have to say, as a Ferrari fan, I'm very disappointed. I think we're trading downwards and getting a new driver who has just shown this year to be found lacking when the car is 100% to his liking, instead of a driver who has consistently adapted to make the best of some fairly average cars.

Felipe was fast in a good car, so was Kimi, and I think Vettel is much the same. Fernando I see as like Michael - even when the car isn't fantastic, they pull everything they can out of it. That's what endears them to me much more.

Anyway, it is what it is, nothing we can do about it. Personally, I'd love to see Fernando and Vettel in a team together and, failing that, bring Bianchi in to partner Vettel. If they are truly building to the future, that would be more logical than keeping Kimi.

[Manoah2u]

Wow, so can't believe I'm the first to comment on this here - i.e. now we're pretty sure Vettel's going to Ferrari, leaving the very strong impression that Alonso is leaving for McLaren.

I have to say, as a Ferrari fan, I'm very disappointed. I think we're trading downwards and getting a new driver who has just shown this year to be found lacking when the car is 100% to his liking, instead of a driver who has consistently adapted to make the best of some fairly average cars.

Felipe was fast in a good car, so was Kimi, and I think Vettel is much the same. Fernando I see as like Michael - even when the car isn't fantastic, they pull everything they can out of it. That's what endears them to me much more.

Anyway, it is what it is, nothing we can do about it. Personally, I'd love to see Fernando and Vettel in a team together and, failing that, bring Bianchi in to partner Vettel. If they are truly building to the future, that would be more logical than keeping Kimi.

to be honest, as has been suggested in the silly season thread, there has been talks of Vettel 2 Ferrari back in 2013.
Vettel has a get-out clause @ redbull. Vettel might have 'sat one out' at Redbull, and made sure he could go to ferrari
at ease by not performing like he wanted, even though i still believe he does had a certain bad luck with the car ala webber.

in any way, Newey is out at RedBull F1 anyway. which raises the question: NEWEY to Ferrari 2015?!

[Kalsi]

What interests me is, all the things people are saying about how it's a massive risk alonso leaving Ferrari for mclaren, wasn't the same said about Hamilton leaving mclaren for Mercedes? Look at how that panned out.....

Mercedes used a rule change to build a WC winning car. Like Brawn, like Redbull.
Which rule change will McLaren use to build a WC winning car for Alonso?
Ferrari is in a much better situation. They have a working car, they have a working engine. They will improve chassis integration and their engine.

The big question is, why should Alonso leave Ferrari. I do not buy this at all, I think Alo and Vet will stay where they are. But IF they move, there will be a good reason.

I agree with Basti313. I will add that many technical people were leaving McLaren and heading to Merc.

Thing's have also gone their way ..The harder tires at the end of last year helped them. This year the tires are hard than last year, again aiding them.

McLaren on the other hand has the best engine this year , while Ferrari arguably the worst and Ferrari is way out in front of them. So the Chassis/Aero/Downforce seems to be way ahead on Ferrari. You'd think with the same engine as McLaren Ferrari would be competing with Merc.

HONDA ENGINE will surely be the best weapon Alonso can use to fight for the 2015 WDC title.... Unfortunately Ferrari's PU is still going to be a no match for Merc and probably not even for Honda, expecially considering they will be able to work only on 48% of it's parts (unless this stupid rule will be lifted someway, but i dont think this is going to happen)

[ecapox]

I'd be surprised if vettel goes to Ferrari WITHOUT bringing newey or someone else.

[alexx_88]

I highly doubt that Newey is any way tied to Vettel. From the reports available, he treasures creative freedom most and wants to move away from F1, I see no reason for him to go to Ferrari.

[Manoah2u]

I highly doubt that Newey is any way tied to Vettel. From the reports available, he treasures creative freedom most and wants to move away from F1, I see no reason for him to go to Ferrari.

unless Ferrari will grant him creative freedom aswell.

Construct a Ferrari F1 car for 2016, in the meantime do whatever he wants to do with RedBull as a streetcar for example.
Ferrari will be the big winner because after that, Newey has gained experience with RedBull Technologies, which is in no
way tied to Ferrari, and bring the knowledge to Ferrari street department.

I'd say Newey getting the green light on constructing (several) Road Ferrari's would be a dream come true for anyone.

Meanwhile, Ferrari is eager to have a guaranteed 'success' designer in the form of Newey, and the new 'bosses' at Ferrari
might be which will grant Newey what he wants, and get themselves what they want.

Newey ain't tied to Vettel, that's for sure. However, the Newey cars worked perfectly on Vettel, where Webber did no get the same results from the same car as Vettel did. Suggesting perhaps Vettel is able or 'crafted' to the Newey machinery better.

The reason Vettel doesn't fit the 2014 RedBull might even be more or less proof of this; If Vettel was getting out of RedBull either way, then there would be no use for Newey in his last RedBull stint to create a car that would favour Vettel's characteristics; he'd be out anyway.
Better to construct a contender which fits Ricciardo more (which would explain why he has the upper hand this year) or a 'base design' which is more open to several directions, to prepare RedBull for Newey's departure.

Dreamworld for Newey:

Total freedom for a street Ferrari.
Total freedom for a winning Ferrari F1 car.
Pairing with a driver which has worked in the past and also is enthusiast for Ferrari success.
$$ caching in bigtime.
Family neccesity to stay in UK isn't as important as it was before, move to Maranello surely possible.

Meanwhile, maintain RedBull technology benefits. Or have Ferrari do a buyout.

Dreamworld for Ferrari:

Winning F1 Championships.
Marketable german driver which has worked in the past.
Update a fresh and new Ferrari carpark through a aero specialist which is nearly a guarantee for success.
Have Newey as an asset for Ferrari's LMP project, too.

Result: Win win win and the world instantly forgets the Alonso-project failure.

Everything New(ey) at Ferrari, everything success.

I can see this happen very very well.

[mika vs michael]

A new driver of the Vettel calibre would be welcome to Ferrari if there were clear paths where the team is going. At the moment those paths are not visible to the public...
Probably Ferrari wants to build a winning car around Vettel, but they are lacking the ingredients to build such car. they need a man like Ross Brawn to stir the team to a path. They lack a leading figure of the caliber of Adrian Newey or Ross Brawn...
reports say that Ferrari has or is recruiting technical staff from Redbull.

Alonso is a Michael Schumacher type of driver but I have the feeling that he did not have an equally worthy team around him, second he did not have the freedom to select people for the team around him the way Michael build the team. not to the same extend. and don't forget Michael spent 5 years in Ferrari before winning his first drivers' title.

Alonso is a big chapter, he is a leader and that's why he is rated so high. he is the complete package.

At the moment it looks more like Ferrari pushing Alonso out because the drivers seems/rated bigger than the team and not because Ferrari has a plan in which Alonso does not fit...

and the body language from Alonso it looks like he is pushed away from Ferrari while trying to make look like it is his choice.

[donskar]

Sometimes a cure can be very painful. Such is the case with Ferrari. Alonso was great with Ferrari. In some ways his era (like Schu's) will never be repeated.

But basic changes were needed -- the "new broom sweeps clean" notion. Vettel and Alonso are not identical, but both are smart, determined, hugely competitive, and very fast. I see the team progressing next year, not regressing. Exciting times are ahead. No WCC or WDC next year, but lots of reason to be optimistic.

No, I do not see Newey following Vettel. BUT I do see some small handful of RB tech people moving to Ferrari. It won't take many new faces to move the team forward. All they need is one RB tech man who knows how the undertray works. (LOL)

[motobaleno]

Alonso IS ferrari. Without him they are nothing. Who's going to drag those wheelbarrows on the podium in the future if he's gone?

that's hardly true for any team but stated for ferrari is one of the silliest thing I have ever heard.

[Juzh]

Alonso IS ferrari. Without him they are nothing. Who's going to drag those wheelbarrows on the podium in the future if he's gone?

that's hardly true for any team but stated for ferrari is one of the silliest thing I have ever heard.

Obviously i meant in terms of performance..

[Cold Fussion]

What's all this talk of Newey going to Ferrari? Newey signed a new contract with Red Bull at the Canadian GP, and there were reports he turned down a ~$20 million a year salary plus the chance to design his own road car for Ferrari.

[Harsha]

Newey repeatedly stated that He was not going to work in ITALY

[zeph]

and the body language from Alonso it looks like he is pushed away from Ferrari while trying to make look like it is his choice.

That is how I saw it as well.

If this all pans out as suspected, I gotta say Mattiacci has some big cojones. I think Vettel and Ferrari will eventually be very successful, but I'm gutted for Alonso. He looks set to finish his career with just the two WDC's.