Ferrari Management Still Dominant…At Brawn GP!
The 2009 season has seen the Ferrari management still dominant compared to other teams. The only problem is the management is over at Brawn GP!
Think back a few years when Ferrari was dominant. Schumacher, Brawn, Todt, and Byrne. The team was utterly dominant and destroyed the Formula One field for better or worse. It was a seven year run unlike many has ever seen. Then it came to an end. Ferrari head Montezemolo pushed Michael Schumacher out the door. Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne were next to go and now even Jean Todt is out. The only remaining member of significance is a lonely looking Michael Schumacher seeing through his “consulting” contract.
Well, Ferrari is back. The only problem is the team is down the pit row in the Brawn GP stall. In truth, the management team so far only consists of Ross Brawn. That being said, he has certainly done much for his reputation. Who else could take over a Honda team that was laughably bad and do what happened in Australia? Nobody.
Admit it. If you replaced the white and horrific neon yellow on the Brawn cars with red, it looked like the classic Ferrari drive. The strategy was perfect. The reliability was shockingly perfect as well. The team was on top of everything, even Brawn yelling at a clueless Rubens Barrichello to slow down behind the pace car. It is nice to also see that Rubens is as dense as he was at Ferrari!
And Ferrari?
What a disaster. The strategy of starting on the soft tires was laughably bad. The once ultra reliable Ferrari again failed with Massa having steering issues. Even when running, the team appears to be a mid pack car at best. Before you howl about the cars being in third and fifth, keep in mind they were running lighter than most of the other cars on the grid. If all the weights had been equal, Ferrari would have qualified close to the McLaren cars. Yes, things are that bad.
Iconic teams are great for sports because of the passion they bring. You either love or hate them. In this case, the Ferrari brand will always be strong. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the F1 team. They are slowly losing their way and need a guiding light to return to their previously brilliant form. They need only look down pit row to see him sitting in the Ross Brawn pit.
Lemmy