2024 F1 season: Ferrari suffers yet another blow in its history
09/30/2024 11:49 AM
There has been a lot of discussion in this Formula 1 season, and Ferrari is always at the center of attention. It's no surprise, given its name and everything that comes with it. Whether it fights to win, loses, finishes mid-pack, or suffers embarrassing moments due to misleading communication, the fact remains that everyone talks about the Maranello team, both in Italy and around the world. It always makes headlines, regardless of the circumstances. This undeniable fact has been true since the 1950s when the red cars hit the track to challenge their rivals.
Ferrari is the most successful team in Formula 1. From the first Grand Prix in Monte Carlo in 1950, with 75 seasons under its belt featuring 88 different car models and 112 different drivers, it has participated in 1,092 races (116 non-participations due to technical issues). The Prancing Horse has amassed 246 victories, 252 pole positions, 262 fastest laps, 821 podiums, and 86 double wins. In total, it has earned 10,113 points, averaging 9.26 points per race and 134.84 points per season. The team has covered 631,261 kilometers over 123,257 laps, including 15,888 laps (82,386 kilometers) led in a race.
These staggering numbers place Ferrari in the elite category. However, when comparing it to Mercedes, we see that the German team has performed significantly better in percentage terms. Considering its presence in F1 in the 1950s and its return in 2010, in just 17 seasons, Mercedes has recorded 128 wins, 139 pole positions, 109 fastest laps, 296 podiums, and 59 double wins. In total, it has accumulated 7,551.50 points. The averages are striking: 24.28 points per race and 441.21 points per season. Mercedes has covered 184,591 kilometers over 35,887 laps, including 7,255 laps (37,929 kilometers) led in a race.
Red Bull officially entered the top category in 2005. The Austrian team has tallied 120 wins, 103 pole positions, 98 fastest laps, 279 podiums, and 31 double wins, accumulating 7,723 points. Again, the average numbers are noteworthy, especially compared to Ferrari’s over 20 active seasons in Formula 1: 19.96 points per race and 386.15 points per season. Red Bull has covered 208,977 km over 41,432 laps, with 6,955 laps (34,787 kilometers) led in a race. Like Mercedes, these figures highlight that the Maranello team has won more, thanks in part to competing in a greater number of Grands Prix.
F1 data is telling and highlights a team's performance over its history. The Italian team has won 16 Constructors’ Championships and 15 Drivers’ Championships. Mercedes has secured 8 Constructors’ titles and 7 Drivers’ titles, while Red Bull boasts 6 Constructors’ trophies and 9 Drivers’ trophies. Thus, analyzing the histories of these three teams, we can conclude that Mercedes and Red Bull have been significantly more successful than Ferrari. We have deliberately saved McLaren for last, which we will discuss shortly.
First, let’s reflect on the current season, where Ferrari has once again shown poor reliability. Consider the various issues faced by both cars during free practice, especially the very difficult weekend in Canada, where car number 16 had to retire after a lengthy struggle during the race, as the Maranello technicians attempted to reset an error in the power unit but failed. Not to mention the anti-stall incident in Austria during Q3, which caused the car to shut off and prevented Charles Leclerc from making his last useful attempt.
In the overall context of the championship, the issue of updates must certainly be mentioned. Once again, Ferrari loses its way, and just when it seemed to be on the right track, it produces a faulty update that effectively destroys all the team’s hopes of fighting for the titles this year. It would take more than two months to “repair” the situation, during which the performance of the Italian cars has been quite disappointing. After the summer break, the SF-24 car are back on track thanks to corrections to the floor and the latest update to the front wing, which awaits confirmation, just like the floor, in the next round of the season, the United States Grand Prix, which is set to take place in Austin.
We can also discuss strategies, an always relevant topic for the F1 team based in Maranello. Although some progress has been seen, there have been races where tactics produced negative scenarios. This remains an issue that needs to be resolved. There's also another matter that raises eyebrows: it concerns Ferrari’s “communicated message.” When problems arise, there is always an air of mystery. Consider the troubles in Canada with the power unit and in Austria with the anti-stall system, leading up to the tire blanket issue in the qualifying session for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Certainty is never provided, and there tends to be an effort to conceal events or even disguise them. The statements made are also peculiar, such as the one regarding Enrico Cardile's sudden departure, which occurred without warning. The technical director of Ferrari leaves the team, which makes a “huge effort” to write four vague words, where nothing is explained at all. And that’s just fine. This is the picture, where we might also mention the presumption of not hiring Adrian Newey because “the group is more important” or because “one man does not make a difference.”
Returning to McLaren, the Woking team has spent much more time in Formula 1 compared to Mercedes and Red Bull. While it doesn’t reach Ferrari’s number of appearances, it certainly comes close. McLaren has participated in 963 Grands Prix over 59 seasons. During this time, it has achieved 188 wins, 161 pole positions, 170 fastest laps, 521 podiums, and 49 double wins. This totals 6,807.50 points, averaging 7.06 points per race and 115.38 points per season. McLaren has covered 494,747 kilometers over 102,309 laps, with 11,029 laps (52,698 kilometers) led in a race. Its title tally reads 8 Constructors’ Championships and 12 Drivers’ Championships.
In terms of overall average, McLaren has performed worse than Ferrari. However, in the past year and a half, it has made a remarkable progression within the same regulatory framework—something that Ferrari has evidently failed to do. Now, the British team possesses the fastest car on the grid: the MCL38, which we can define as the technical benchmark. Nevertheless, the team has squandered this advantage in the Drivers’ Championship. Lando Norris has gained just one point on Max Verstappen in over four months. A pitiful comeback despite the technical superiority.
What disturbs fans of the red team the most is another issue. At the moment when Red Bull slips into a “technical depression” following the historic departure of its guiding light, Adrian Newey, the Constructors’ Championship title will end up in the hands of McLaren. After years of Mercedes dominance followed by Red Bull hegemony, Ferrari is “cheerfully being defeated” by a team that, until last summer, was fighting just to get into the points. This is yet another black page in its history, one that will unfortunately remain etched in the minds of its fans.
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