21/07/2020
NEWS STORY
At a time Lewis Hamilton closes on more and more records set by Michael Schumacher, it's worth reflecting on that last golden era at Maranello.
When one thinks of those five seasons of almost total domination in the early 2000s, it's easy to forget the German's first four seasons at Maranello.
While Schumacher had his moments of 'red mist', his team regularly managed to let him down.
When it finally came good in 2000, it brought to an end a drought, in terms of drivers' titles - that had lasted since 1979. Think about that, 20 seasons without a drivers' title.
Fast forward, and Kimi Raikkonen, now in the last throws of his career, was the Scuderia's last world champion, back in 2007, that's another 12 years without a title, this (2020) surely being the thirteenth.
Currently, the Scuderia is 5th on the standings, almost 100 points down on Mercedes after just three races.
Having finally admitted that the problem with the SF1000 is more than just the aero, team boss, Mattia Binotto admits that returning the team to winning ways is going to take time.
"After three races, it's clear that we are in worse shape than we expected and we need to react without delay," says the Italian, according to the official F1 website.
"The entire car project has to be revised," he adds ominously, "while taking into consideration the limits currently imposed by the regulations.
"I am well aware there is no magic wand in Formula 1, but we have to step up a gear to turn things around, both in the short and the long term.
"It might also be necessary to look at our organisation," he admits, "to improve and strengthen our working methods where the need is greatest. But first, as a team, we need to understand the dynamic that led to this situation."
While many point the accusatory finger at Binotto the fact is he should never have been appointed to the role in the first place, he is an engineer, a very good engineer. However, in 'promoting' him to a management role - for which he is not suited - this has meant taking his eye off the ball in terms of the most important aspect of his job, providing the team with a winning car.
"I have confidence in the people who work in the Gestione Sportiva," he says. "We have started out on a long process that should lead to another winning cycle. It will take a while, but the whole company understands and supports this vision.
"That's why I find it amusing to read some stories that are doing the rounds: it's not by sacking people that you make a car go faster," he declares, clearly in response to some of the recent demands in the Italian media.
"It will take a long time," he warns. "I think patience will be required. The updates we brought in Austria proved correlation, and at the moment, at least we have addressed that but the deficit in terms of performance is still there.
"We are lacking speed on the straights, lacking speed on cornering. Overall, the car has to be improved in all the areas. It's as simple as that. It's not something that a simple trick will address it, or a simple solution or package. It will take time. How long? I don't have the answer yet."