F1 Report: Are Ferrari in freefall behind Mercedes and Red Bull?
By Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 04/08/16 3:00pm
Ferrari are "going backwards" on the track and "reverting to type" off it after a poor first half of the season, according to this week's F1 Report guests.
The Scuderia had expected to build on a promising 2015 campaign but are yet to win a race so far, and have even been overtaken by Red Bull as Mercedes' nearest challengers.
With the Italian press describing Ferrari's slump as 'a midsummer nightmare', highly-respected technical director James Allison has departed while Sergio Marchionne is taking a more hands-on role in the Maranello factory as the Ferrari president seeks immediate answers.
Whether it's struggles with the car or the staff, the most glamorous team in the sport's history are no closer to ending their near-decade drought without a title.
"This looks to be the Ferrari of old where they're chopping and changing", former Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne, speaking on the F1 Report, said. "They're craving instant success, they don't get it and start making changes.
"The one period where they were successful was when they had stability with Ross Brawn, Jean Todt and Michael [Schumacher]. This is reverting to type and I think they're under a lot of pressure."
What now for Ferrari after James Allison's exit?
Such are Ferrari's woes, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished more than half a minute behind Lewis Hamilton's race-winning Mercedes in Hockenheim while team principal Maurizio Arrivabene admitted they haven't managed to add downforce to the SF16-H since May's Spanish GP.
Courtesy of their double-podium finish in Germany, Red Bull have leapfrogged above Ferrari into second place in the standings and Sky F1's Marc Priestley, who joined Gascoyne and Natalie Pinkham in the studio, was scathing in his verdict of the Italian outfit.
"With the claims they made pre-season about winning races and the pressure that Sergio Marchionne's been putting on everybody - they haven't delivered on any of that and in fact, they've gone backwards," the former McLaren engineer added.
"The rest of the field, particularly Red Bull have moved forwards and Ferrari haven't at that same rate - so they are freefalling."
