In what looks like another disappointing year for Ferrari, can the once great team go back to their dominant winning ways which labelled them as the greatest team to ever grace the sport of Formula 1?
Without a win since May 2013 at the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari have endured a tough time with the new 2014 regulation changes. Fernando Alonso has picked up the teams only podium finishes of the season at the Chinese and Hugnarian GP’s, completely out-performing team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. Being out-raced by a team-mate at every race is something Raikkonen will not have been used to. But Alonso has stamped down his authority at Ferrari despite rumours he may not be with them for much longer.
Whilst Alonso has scored points in every race, Raikkonen has only managed 27 points from the opening 11 races. Both Ferrari and the Finn will be looking for a much better second half of the season, when F1 returns from the summer break for the Belgian GP in late August. Getting third back in the constructors championship was achieved by Ferrari in Hungary and they will be looking to maintain that throughout the rest of the season.
Just two podium finishes from two drivers who were expected to lead the ‘Prancing Horse’ to title glory once again, was not what anyone had in mind. Also, what many believe to be the two most consistent drivers have failed to deliver in what is ultimately a mid-field car at best. Something which chairman of Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo will not stand for. The Italian has frequently told everyone at Ferrari that they have to improve in all areas if they are to be successful once more.
Not only is it di Montezemolo, but also star driver, Fernando Alonso who is not shy of showing his frustration. At the 2013 Hungarian GP, the Spaniard was asked in an interview what he would have wanted for his 32nd birthday. Alonso replied with: “A new car.” A quiet way of telling everyone at Ferrari a big message. If he thought 2013 was bad, 2014 will have been a complete disaster. But the Spaniard almost miraculously won at Hungary one year later, when Alonso thought Ferrari were in for another tough weekend. But Alonso showed why he is considered by many as the best driver on the current grid.
But will it be back to reality for Ferrari, Alonso and Raikkonen at Spa? We will soon see.
Fernando Alonso 115 points / 4th in Drivers Championship
In his early career, Alonso was labelled by some as the ‘next Schumacher’, and now in 2014, despite having five less titles than the great German, Alonso has proven to be one of the greats. More often than not, he has out-performed a slow car to results that were beyond the cars capabilities. The Spaniard has had to once again do this in 2014 with Ferrari’s F14 T.
Despite only two podiums this season, the Spaniard is fourth in the drivers and is the only drive to score points in every race, so far this season. Consistency has always been a strong point of Alonso’s, and he was once again proving that he can out-perform a highly regarded team-mate and get strong results in poor cars.
Alonso’s and Ferrari’s best performance of the season came at the Hungarian GP. The Spaniard led more laps during the race that he had done in the previous 24 races put together, but lost the lead to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo with only three laps remaining. Alonso will be hoping to have a strong second part of the season, and be fighting for best of the rest in the championship behind both Mercedes cars, and catch Ricciardo who is immediately ahead in the championship.
Kimi Raikkonen 27 points / 12th in Drivers Championship
What can you say about Kimi Raikkonen’s season? The man that many thought could brush aside Fernando Alonso and take Ferrari to championship glory like he did in 2007. Never finishing higher than 6th in a race this season, it has been a poor return to Ferrari for Raikkonen who also holds the teams only non-finish of the season.
After a change of voice on the radio; Raikkonen preferred the voice of an Englishman talking to him in the car, he seemed more comfortable but the results still did not come his way. After only starting 17th at the Hungaroring, Raikkonen put in his best drive of the season on a track notorious for being difficult to overtake on. The Finn finished in 6th, but still remains a lowly 12th in the championship.
After suggestions from people that Raikkonen had “lost motivation” to race in F1, he was interviewed in Hungary by Sky F1 on his future. Raikkonen duly replied in his simple way: “You guys [journalists] think you know everything.”
He also stated that Ferrari will be the last team he will race for in Formula 1, but never made a comment on what year he would retire. The Finn’s contract with the Scuderia expires at the end of 2015, and with such drivers like Jules Bianchi coming up through the Ferrari development driver ranks, Raikkonen’s seat at Ferrari may not be as safe as he first thought.
Next, the F1 circus heads to Spa where Kimi is known as the “King” of with five podium finishes and four victories. After retiring from the 2013 race with a brake issue with former team, Lotus, Raikkonen will be looking to come back fighting and show everyone why he is labelled this, “King” of Spa.
Race finishing positions:
TOP: Alonso. BOTTOM: Raikkonen.
| AUS | MAL | BAH | CHI | SPA | MON | CAN | AUS | BRI | GER | HUN | |
| 4 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | |
| 7 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 10 | DNF | 11 | 6 |
Performance comparison:
| Fernando Alonso | Kimi Raikkonen | |
| Qualified ahead | 9 | 2 |
| Average qualifying gap | -0.695s | +0.695s |
| Finished race ahead | 11 | 0 |
| Laps spent ahead | 549 | 93 |
Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci has announced that “extreme” measures are being taken at Ferrari for the 2015 season. Ferrari have bid farewell to long-serving engine boss Luca Marmorini, who has left the team with immediate effect. This is one of the many things that Mattiacci has promised for Ferrari fans around the world. However, Alonso has said that Ferrari won’t be able to fight for a title until 2016, perhaps hinting that he will remain with the Italians.
Since 2010, Ferrari have been unable to provide a car sufficient enough of challenging for the world championship consistently. 2011 never really came together, 2012 was a one-off title challenge, 2013’s early season hopes soon dashed away and 2014 is and will most likely continue a shambles for everyone associated with the Ferrari team.
2015 is a brand new season, a new challenge; but can Ferrari return to glory once more? Only time will tell.
