The sweeping pre-2015 revolution at Ferrari is continuing at full speed. The latest of multiple heads to officially roll is the former Bridgestone tyre specialist Hirohide Hamashima, hot on the heels of Nikolas Tombazis and Pat Fry. And Italian reports say yet another new Ferrari refugee is Neil Martin, a disciple of Briton Fry dating back to their McLaren days.
The influential Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport surmised the mood of the past weeks as "full power for James Allison", the now clear and obvious technical chief of a fabled marque struggling in the new aero and energy-recovery era. Also surviving the upheaval of the past months, weeks and days is Dirk de Beer, the aerodynamics chief.
But Spain's El Mundo Deportivo surmised that Ferrari has essentially "liquidated the (Fernando) Alonso era" as it builds a new foundation for the newly-arrived Sebastian Vettel. "Do not fear change," new president Sergio Marchionne told Ferrari employees at a recent Christmas lunch, "be proactive and have the courage to come up with ideas."
Seasoned observers, however, marvel at the sweeping extent of the changes in red, the Roman daily Corriere dello Sport fearing Ferrari has "lost too many important heads to believe they can rely only on the survivors of the revolution". Indeed, Germany's Sport Bild said that despite tempting offers to join the Ferrari rebirth, the likes of Bob Bell and Red Bull's chief designer Rob Marshall have both now said no.
"Marshall has signed a new long-term contract with Red Bull," the publication claimed. Sport Bild also claims, however, that Ferrari has managed to convince a high-profile Mercedes figure to move to Maranello: new world champion Lewis Hamilton's performance engineer Jock Clear.
quoteScuderia Ferrari @ScuderiaFerrari 28 Min Jean-Eric Vergne joins us as new test driver! Welcome @JeanEricVergne http://bit.ly/1w6bIVW
quoteVergne joins Ferrari in test role as de la Rosa leaves
Jean-Eric Vergne has joined Ferrari to work on car development in the team’s simulator.
He replaces Pedro de la Rosa, who is leaving the team at the end of the month. Ferrari has already confirmed that Esteban Gutierrez will be third driver, while Marc Gene and Davide Rigon both stay on as test drivers.
“On behalf of the entire team, I welcome Jean-Eric, who I’m sure will make an important contribution to our development work in the simulator,” said team principal Maurizio Arrivabene. “He will fit in to a programme aimed at improving important areas, invigorating and strengthening an already strong and capable group of professionals.”
“The objective is a unanimous one and that is to help the Scuderia get back to the top step of the podium,” said Vergne. “Having had two years working in the simulator for a top F1 team and three years racing with Toro Rosso, my experience will add to the great efforts that are currently being made in order to get the team back to its winning ways. I look forward to fulfilling my dream in becoming a member of Scuderia Ferrari and having the tifosi behind me every step of the way.”
Maranello, 22 December – This morning at Ferrari’s base in Maranello there was a press conference and end-of-year lunch. President Sergio Marchionne and Managing Director and the Scuderia’s Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene spoke to Formula 1 journalists from Italy and abroad before meeting up with them for lunch and to share Christmas wishes.
Sergio Marchionne kicked off proceedings by saluting those present, stressing: “I will try not to talk about 2014 because it has been a year to forget. So instead let’s talk about the future; we will look towards 2015 with some optimism.” Replying to one of the first questions, Marchionne confirmed: “2015 will be a year of reconstruction. In the last few days we have made some sharp decisions on the make-up of the team and we know exactly who the key people are for development. We have taken away all the baggage of uncertainty which harmed the start of the work on the 2015 project.” For his part, Maurizio Arrivabene said: “I bring experience that has matured in my last company, the fact of knowing how to motivate people and to get the best out of them. In the company I’ve seen plenty of will to get things done: I am here to give the people my trust and to streamline the team. We won’t get anywhere individually, we have to work as a group.”
The subject then turned to Sebastian Vettel, the spirit of his arrival and what he can expect of 2015. President Marchionne replied: “I don’t think he’s naïve, he knows our level of performance but this is the power of Ferrari: it manages to attract people even just based on its potential. Our job for 2015 is to set this potential free. Vettel’s big gamble is ours too, to reconstruct the team and to make it grow. The work we have undertaken alongside Maurizio is to give guarantees to this team, to bring about clear decisions and to have faith in the people who make up the team.”
Speaking of Sebastian, Arrivabene added: “Vettel brings with him the experience of winning, he has his four world titles and the enthusiasm to work together. He certainly wants to make the Scuderia grow alongside us. Having said that, even though drivers may be luxury employees they are still employees and they must work together with others. I think Sebastian is well equipped for the job that awaits him. He gets on very well with Kimi and this is a positive element, even if I hope that they won’t get on quite so well on the track, because the rule must remain that your team-mate is your main opponent.”
There was also time to talk about the future of Formula 1, a debate in which Scuderia Ferrari is always involved: “There is a problem over the appeal of the races,” said Arrivabene. “We must keep working to give people spectacle and emotions. We must work to bring Formula 1 closer to the fans, otherwise we risk ending up racing on our own in empty circuits. We must know how to get the most out of the tools used by the new generation, which is how to attract young people and create the chances for fans to interact more with the stars of our sport. The Thursday of a Grand Prix weekend could, for example, be better exploited.” 2015 will be a year of reconstruction and recovery for the Scuderia, and to convey this idea Arrivabene set a minimum target: to win at least two Grands Prix. President Marchionne concluded with these words: “I can guarantee the team is putting in a phenomenal effort. We have people here who are giving their absolute best and they have my full support. The important thing for us now is to give them courage and all the resources necessary to move forward and make the Scuderia grow.”
quoteNEW FERRARI CAR TO BE SHOWN ON THE WEB AT THE END OF JANUARY Arrivabene “The new car will be shown via web at the end of January. The reason? Thechnicians told me that for doing an old style lunch of the car like we used to do in the past, it took at least trhee days, too many in a phase where I prefer that the work is focused only on the development of the car”
quote Ferrari bosses say F1 needs a revolution to appeal to younger fans By Anthony Rowlinson Tuesday, December 23rd 2014, 10:18 GMT
A "revolution" in the way Formula 1 presents itself to fans is required if the sport is to survive and prosper, according to new Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne.
He fears F1 is threatened by growing competition from virtual entertainment offered via the internet, and urged the sport's power-brokers to embrace new ideas for communicating with a younger audience in a more accessible way.
"We must simplify and streamline and make the sport a lot more appealing for the world we live in," he said.
"Otherwise we risk the possibility of just taking selfies and nothing more.
"We must, in fact, make a real revolution and work on this and I think we can do something on this in 2015."
Former lawyer Marchionne, giving his first wide-ranging media briefing since assuming overall control of Ferrari from Luca di Montezemolo in the autumn, derided the overly complex rule structure of F1 and warned the sport had become too impenetrable to attract younger audiences accustomed to cheap forms of entertainment offering instant gratification.
Marchionne's message follows controversial statements from F1's commercial tsar, Bernie Ecclestone, who said recently that the sport didn't need younger fans because they are not the target market for F1's sponsors.
Bernie Ecclestone and Maurizio Arrivabene Marchionne's comments were echoed by new Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene, who said F1 should consider such notions as opening up its driver press conferences to fans, to make the sport more accessible.
"We have a real possibility to make a show there, and a real opportunity to give some access to young people," Arrivabene said.
"We wouldn't need new regulations to do this, we just need the willingness to do it.
"We have, in fact, been talking about this in the past few days."
He warned that F1 had drifted "too far from the people", losing focus on entertainment and value for money.
"Formula 1 must give people what they want in terms of the show," he added.
"People are buying tickets - and expensive tickets - to watch F1.
"We have to listen to them and watch them and bring the sport closer to their needs.
"This is beneficial for everyone."
Describing the internet as "a real competitor", Arrivabene added: "We have to respond to the needs of fans or we will find empty tracks and just give awards to ourselves because no-one will be watching any more."
I really hope all this is to take our hopes down and then give us a pleasant surprise
Thanks to "whats-his-name" From Auotweek 23rd Dec. ...
quoteTeam boss Sergio Marchionne says team is behind schedule
Ferrari admitted it is entering the 2015 Formula One season on the back foot.
The Italian team has swept clean the figureheads of Ferrari's disastrous start to the turbo V6 era, having pushed hard for the rule change but ending 2014 without a single win.
Facing reporters on Monday, team president Sergio Marchionne and boss Maurizio Arrivabene admitted that reacting to Ferrari's problems has even delayed the 2015 car.
Marchionne said key mistakes were made in 2014, and one of them may have been appointing the inexperienced Marco Mattiacci as axed Stefano Domenicali's successor.
"I have enormous respect for what he has done for the company in the commercial area," the new Ferrari president said, "but F1 is something else.
"He was still learning the job, but in the situation Ferrari was in, we could not rebuild the team waiting for the boss to gain experience," Marchionne added.
On the personnel front, the shakeup has been revolutionary. Ferrari confirmed on Monday that the latest arrival is Jock Clear, an engineer who helped Lewis Hamilton win the world championship this year. The team is now negotiating with Mercedes for an early end to the Brackley veteran's "gardening leave" so that he can take over from the departed Pat Fry soon.
Mattiaci's successor Arrivabene, meanwhile, denied speculation Bob Bell, Adrian Newey or Ross Brawn will be the next high-profile arrivals at Maranello.
"The team is there," he insisted. "There is no great news to be announced, no surprises. We have to believe in the people we have."
But president Marchionne said that while the radical shakeup was taking place, the nuts and bolts of the design of the 2015 car were put behind schedule.
"Unfortunately," he said, "God does not build racing cars."
He said mistakes were made in the basic foundations of the 2015 project, which is now essentially set as the car has passed all of the mandatory FIA crash tests.
"The previous team leadership made strategic decisions that I disagreed with," Marchionne was quoted in Italian publications. "Decisions relating to the car of 2014 and the preparation for 2015. For me, considering how we finished, how much we spent and where we are, in short, it was a mistake.
"That is why we are now coming from behind because of choices made by other people. 2015 will be a difficult year that will put a strain on the whole team," La Repubblica quoted him as saying.
So for Sebastian Vettel's first season in red, expectations have been set historically low for F1's most famous and arguably best-resourced team.
"If we win two races, it would be a success," said Arrivabene. "Three is a triumph."
And Marchionne quipped: "Four, we are in paradise."
according to Gazzetta dello Sport there are encouraging results coming from the wind tunnel. Of course not know what others like Mercedes and RB are doing but that progress is obvious and a good part of their aerodynamic deficit is filled. Together with the political win of the PU development which means performance and fuel consumption improvement there is moderate optimism.
the presentation will be online on 28, 29 or 30 January, one of first two days more likely. and it's not yet decided when they will present Vettel officially and who will drive the car first.
quoteYesterday in Maranello there was an important technical meeting with heads of the various departments who have defined the development plans of the car that still carries its project number 666, waiting to be christened with an actual name. The feeling is that some aspects of the car project is in great evolution and it’s not excluded that at the debut of the European season we can already see a Ferrari with many changes compared to what we will see in Spain. So we will see a very active Gestione Sportiva, compared to the immobility of 2014...
The data of the simulator is now more positive: the first feedback of the testers indicate the birth of a car easier to drive than the F14 T and sincere in the reactions, a sign that they would correct the mistakes that have heavily influenced the performance of the team last year.
Although the basis of the project was started by Nicholas Tombazis, Simone Resta, new chief designer, has made numerous changes to the layout of the car that has abandoned some extreme solutions such as the oil tank mounted in the gearbox, returning to more traditional but effective choices, while it was not renounced the front suspension with the criticized scheme pull rod.
At the "spider", the simulator that has just been developed with a new software, there is a more positive climate, because the data that emerge is that the new Ferrari would recover much of the downforce missing last year. Among the engineers, in short, there is a moderate optimism for the undeniable leap in quality that would be done. Obviously a balance can be drawn only after the real car will be on track in Andalusia in comparison with rivals.
But the climate seems to have changed in the sporting direction: Maurizio Arrivabene would bring a wave of optimism which is good, giving valid motivation in many engineers who had been sidelined by management Fry-Tombazis. It’s as if he had taken off a plug of growth of some engineers who will now have the opportunity to show what they are really capable of.
Later this week should get to Maranello an engineer of the second tier that worked in Brixworth on Mercedes’ power unit 106A. It is Cedric Cornebois, the man of the three-pointed star specializing in combustion which can provide useful information on the development of the 6-cylinder turbo that finally, will go with an injection to 500 bar while the 059/3 was approved with a much lower threshold (it’s said 350 bar) to avoid compromising the reliability of some parts.
quoteFerrari will launch its new Formula 1 car on the Friday before the first pre-season test.
The Italian outfit will unveil its 2015 challenger online on January 30 from its Maranello base - before it is shipped to Jerez for its debut run on the Sunday.
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Thu Dec 18, 2014 10:23 am
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Pedro and 
JEV 
Don´t disappoint me again 
