Mattiacci: React and continue with developments

The Canadian Grand Prix saw improvements relating to various aspects of the F14 T, but it did not deliver the results Scuderia Ferrari was hoping for. The disappointment felt at the track has not compromised the team’s fighting spirit, with the squad now heading back to Maranello, more determined than ever to move forward with the short, medium and long term development programmes.

The current mood within Ferrari is summed up well by Team Principal Marco Mattiacci. “We are very angry with ourselves, but we have no intention of giving up. The Canadian circuit definitely didn’t suit us, given that it highlighted the strong points of some of our competitors and, on top of that, not everything went right either, given that we started from too far back and the others improved more than we did,” he said. “On the positive side of this weekend, everyone wants to fight back, starting with our drivers, Kimi and Fernando, who are both extremely tenacious guys, competent and competitive and they know how to work as a team to point us in the direction of the areas that are a priority in our development programme. Some updates produced good results on track and that’s why we will continue down this path race by race”.

The Team Principal also reiterated the fact that the new path embarked on in Maranello will take time to deliver results. “We have improved since the start of the year, but every step forward we make must be looked at in the context of what our rivals have done. Ferrari has begun work on a specific approach, based around a few key figures; President Montezemolo, James Allison, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and a group of highly talented engineers. It’s a case of restructuring the team, with people being given the best possible conditions in which to get the job done”.

In the short term, the priorities do not change. “There is a clearly defined development programme that we are working through and which will see us bring updates to every race”, added Mattiacci. “Another major target is to speed up our reaction time, which is something our competitors seem to manage to do”.