Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna has conceded that other teams “run more smoothly” than the Italian marque in Formula 1 amid its continued championship drought.
Despite being the most successful constructor in the history of the sport with 31 titles, Ferrari has seen a prolonged period of struggle since 2008.
The Maranello-based squad’s persistent title drought was exacerbated in 2019 after an FIA technical ruling saw it lose its engine advantage into the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Now, despite giving McLaren a staunch fight for the Constructors’ title last season, the team sits on the cusp of a winless year with both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Amid this, speculation was also rife about the future of Team Principal Fred Vasseur, who was finally handed a long-term extension to quell these rumours in July.
Taking cognisance of these tumultuous incidents the team has endured in the modern era, Vigna admitted the inner workings of Ferrari have not always been conducive to winning.
“There are other teams where everything seems to run more smoothly than it does for us,” he admitted.
That said, he insisted that moving forward, the team would “continue to work in a united and cohesive way” for the remainder of the season.
“We need to make sure that all the ingredients necessary to win are functioning properly,” he added.
Ferrari rues missed 2025 opportunities
Coming into the last season of the incumbent ground effects regulations, Ferrari would have hoped to capitalise on the strong end it had to last season.
Missing out to McLaren by just 14 points in the Constructors’ Championship, Hamilton’s arrival at the beginning of this year felt like the reinforcement it needed to make that final step.
That said, the 40-year-old’s apparent inability to assimilate with the team and the SF-25 from the get-go has only made matters worse.
Vigna, who still believes the team can fight for second, outlined what the team needs to do to ensure it stays ahead of the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull going into the final four races.
“The podium in Mexico makes us happy, but we must keep our feet on the ground,” he asserted.
“Unfortunately, the season has not gone the way we expected.
“We will continue to work in a united and cohesive way because there are still four races to go, and we must give our best to see how things end.”
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