Ferrari uncertain

[davewilson]

Ferrari face uncertain future after departures

Is it possible that only three months after Michael Schumacher drove his last race for the Prancing Horse, the wheels are already starting to come off at Ferrari? For fans of the Scuderia there are ominous signs that all may not be well at Maranello as the team approach their first season in 11 years without the German at the wheel.
In the wake of changes in personnel in race and design team management over the winter — the most significant of which is the decision by Ross Brawn, the technical director, to take a sabbatical — it was reported yesterday that one of Brawn’s right-hand men, Nigel Stepney, is also looking to sit out the coming season.

 

 
Stepney, the race and test technical manager, has played a key role in overseeing the car-build process and pit team management, and he was looking to develop his career in Brawn’s absence.

But Autosport magazine quoted Stepney as saying that he is not happy with the situation and while he would like a new challenge with Ferrari, he was also prepared to consider offers from elsewhere. Stepney’s decision to break cover will intensify speculation that the promotion of the former head of human resources, Mario Almondo, to replace Brawn has created friction at Ferrari.

Perhaps more worrying is that the apparent turmoil in personnel is being borne out on the technical front, with the team launching a new car that was not finished last month and to a design that amazed Ferrari’s rivals.

With all 11 teams this season required to use standard tyres supplied by Bridgestone and early testing underlining that the performance degradation of the rear tyres is likely to be a key problem, the trend in design is to get as much weight off the back end as possible. Ferrari, however, have gone in the opposite direction with their new car, the F2007.

One senior technical analyst at a rival team was surprised at the path the Maranello design office have taken. “It’s a high-risk strategy and with all the changes they’ve had with staff, if it goes wrong they’ll struggle,” he said.

The Stig