Why Ferrari is Doomed In The Constructor’s Championship

Ferrari has obviously gone through ebbs and flows when it comes to Formula 1. This year, it is doomed in the constructor’s championship for a very obvious reason.

What’s the most glamorous championship in Formula 1? Is it the driver’s or constructor’s championship? Well, most of us would say the drivers, but the teams seem fixated heavily on the constructor’s race. Why? Because the money in F1 is allocated not by where the drivers finish, but by where the teams do. The difference between finishing first and fifth in the constructor’s championship means tens of millions of dollars in financing.


Ferrari has won more than its fair share of constructor’s trophies through the years. I can say unequivocally that it has no chance this year. It current sits in third place after the Canadian Grand Prix, but that really isn’t the issue. No, it comes down to a comparison of the driver lineups for the three teams competing for the top.

McLaren has two world champions that are at the top of their game. I prefer the driving style of Button to Hamilton, but there is no disputing both are excellent. Red Bull has Vettel who is excellent and Webber who has suddenly evolved from…well, Webber into the second coming of Niki Lauda. And Ferrari? Alonso is a clear number one, but then things get dodgy because we find the weak link in the chain – Felipe Massa.

Massa has been terrible in 2010. He finished on the podium in the first two races proving he was back from the horrors of his 2009 accident. Since then? He’s been atrocious. Beyond atrocious. His average finish in the six subsequent races is seventh position. That means he is contributing about 5.6 points per race to the constructors title. Such an “effort” makes it impossible for Ferrari to hang with McLaren and Red Bull.



Consider the results of the Canadian Grand Prix. Alonso finished a strong third place and garnered 15 points. McLaren snagged a well-deserved 1-2 and reaped 43 points. Red Bull, however, had terrible strategy and mechanical issues. Still, the cars dragged home in fourth and fifth, to bring home 22 points. Massa? He made an “optimistic” dive into turn one that resulted in a shunt. He spent the rest of the race getting back up to tenth before Schumacher punted him. Assuming Massa had remained tenth, Red Bull still would’ve gained points on Ferrari despite Alonso finishing ahead of them.

Felipe is a good soldier for the Scuderia. There is not doubt about that. The problem is he simply isn’t good enough. Of the drivers on the top teams, it is clear that Massa is the weakest by a significant factor. If Ferrari wishes to compete for the constructor’s race in 2011, Massa must go. Kubica is friends with Alonso, which would seem to make it a good match. Yes, Massa just signed a new contract but that has never stopped Ferrari from making a change before. Let’s hope it doesn’t this year!

Lemmy
June 16, 2010

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