F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 309 Wu Shi's Cause

The biggest problem with the Ferrari team is that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things more clearly.

Ferrari doesn't have one huge problem, but rather too many problems; everything seems like a critical issue.

First, there's the issue of mindset. As the only team that still retains a distinct national identity, they prefer to employ staff of Italian nationality.

This practice undermines their talent pool development.

Leaving aside the question of how the talent of one country can compare to that of the entire Europe, the fact that most of the team members are Italian raises concerns about whether the rest of the team will be marginalized.

But this is something ingrained in their very being, something even Marchionne couldn't change.

It's important to understand that even the process of Ferrari going public faced immense internal resistance.

The main reason is that most people believe Ferrari should be a "beautiful" and sophisticated top-tier brand, rather than becoming a mediocre and vulgar brand after going public.

Marchionne insisted on going public because he believed that sound economics were essential for a future.

But you think Marchionne didn't have this kind of thing? He did too!
After going public, Ferrari should have followed the rules and tried to cater to the market as much as possible, but he said that Ferrari would never make profitable SUVs, and that Ferrari was only interested in two-door supercars.

This directly led to Ferrari's stock price consistently declining.

All these problems boil down to Ferrari's current mindset issues.

Secondly, Marchionne's personal management style was too forceful.

He naturally noticed the huge problems and hidden dangers in the collaboration between the various departments within the team.

Therefore, he took a hands-on approach, which to some extent achieved flat management and successfully brought Ferrari the dawn of victory in 2017.

Ferrari had long been plagued by problems, and his involvement exacerbated internal conflicts within the team.

Finally, Ferrari's high-pressure management was somewhat blindly forceful, resulting in an odd atmosphere within the team.

A comparison reveals that Mercedes under Toto's leadership did not want to blame any individual, but rather the entire team.

Therefore, when Hamilton's headrest came loose and fell off in Azerbaijan, no mechanic was punished or blamed.

Ferrari, on the other hand, always tries to find someone to take the blame when something goes wrong.

This clear division of responsibilities has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is obviously more disadvantageous for Ferrari now, since when you fall behind, you need to take risks to have a chance to move forward.

If you restrict the R&D team's willingness to take risks, then the R&D team will also be hesitant to act rashly.

In this way, no one makes mistakes, but the ability to innovate is also lost.

Everyone remembers how Sassi left Ferrari.

Engine technology violations are a big problem, but Sassi also allowed Ferrari to keep up with Mercedes in the first half of the season, preserving their competitive hopes.

Now that Sassi is gone, engine development is likely to go through another painful period.

However, Marchionne did not mention these three issues at the meeting.

He only repeatedly emphasized that the entire season had fallen short of expectations.

They had a competitive car and a smart team, but they still lost the game!

He hoped that the people at the meeting would reflect on their behavior and submit a written report detailing the reasons that ultimately led to their loss of the championship.

Marchionne's aggressive demeanor made everyone present feel oppressed, but since the big boss had spoken, everyone had no choice but to analyze the situation.

Vettel and Kimi were also present.

Actually, Vettel has been in pretty good form this year; he's at least gotten all the points he should have.
That is, they lost in Baku and Silverstone.

However, Vettel did not believe these were his problems, because it was not just these two races that caused him to lose the chance to win the championship.

Wu Shi achieved five consecutive wins at the beginning of the season, how is he supposed to catch up in points!

Not to mention Hamilton's obstruction.

Thinking of Hamilton, Vettel was actually hoping that his old rival would win a few more F Grand Prix races and chip away at Mercedes' points advantage.

However, the truth is that Hamilton suffered a complete defeat to Wu Shi this year.

However, Vettel is a man of his word—some even say he's a spoiled brat from Red Bull.

So after Marchionne finished speaking, he directly expressed his own opinion:
"We are some distance behind Mercedes, and the points gap shouldn't be so large."

Marchionne, showing ample respect for the quadruple champions, said, "So where do you think the problem lies?"

“If our car can’t beat Mercedes, our chances are slim. You know, Wu Shi is too consistent.”

Vettel's outspokenness drew the attention of many.

Marchionne gestured for him to continue.

"Hamilton is definitely one of the most competitive drivers in the paddock, and in this year's qualifying, he was faster than Wu Shi in only one or two races."

"This is incredible. No one is faster than Wu Shi, and no one is more stable than him. If you don't have a faster car, who can beat him?"

Marchionne's expression didn't look good after Vettel said that.

Ferrari has two world champions, one of whom is a current four-time world champion in his prime. Yet this four-time world champion told him that the car wasn't good enough, so it couldn't outrun the car?!
But this statement resonated with the other attendees.

Was Ferrari not competitive enough at the start of the season?
Vettel used better tire management to beat Hamilton several times, but to his dismay, Hamilton was still facing Wu Shi!
Of course, if Vettel can secure pole position and maintain his lead, he will have the opportunity to change everything.

Ultimately, it's because the race car's performance is insufficient.

Many people can agree with this logic.

Being agreeable does not mean being correct.

"So the reason we didn't win the championship was because Wu Shi existed?"

Marchionne's disgruntled questions echoed throughout the conference room, and he then continued:

"Remember, we are still behind Hamilton in points."

Vettel fell silent. Before the summer break, he had a lead over Hamilton in their fierce competition, but after the break, Mercedes' competitiveness had increased significantly, and he was exhausted.

Marchionne surveyed the entire room, finally fixing his gaze on an engineer with disheveled hair, and said:

"Binoto!"

Ferrari's technical director, Mattia Binotto, looked up at Marchionne.

What's going on with the engine problems in Malaysia?

Binotto glanced sideways at Vettel; if Vettel hadn't brought up the vehicle's performance, the meeting might have ended there.

Now he's being watched, and he's forced to say something, even though he's not sure what to do:
"We discovered the technical problem after the race: a malfunction in the manifold between the compressor and the engine cylinders."

"This is the problem that Sebastian and Kimi encountered in qualifying and in the race."

"This is unexpected; we've never encountered a malfunction like this this season, either on the dynamometer or on the track."

"However, I can assure you that once a problem is identified, it can be resolved."

"We have a plan: strengthening our quality department will solve the problem."

"Because it doesn't involve any structural changes, it's very simple."

Binotto's promise seemed somewhat weak, but Vettel spoke up again:

“I think Binotto can solve these problems; they’re not our biggest issue.” Marchionne didn’t look at Vettel, but continued to look at Binotto as he spoke.
“This is a warning, Binotto. There should be no problems. I don’t want what happened to Sassi to happen to you.”

Binotto wiped his forehead.

Marchionne's imposing presence made everyone afraid to even breathe.

Finally, Marchionne continued:

"Next, I will work with everyone, I will integrate into each team, I need to find our problems and then solve them! Next year, we must win the world championship!"

After that, the meeting was adjourned.

After listening to the entire meeting, Martina rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

As someone who came from the era of General Manager Meng, she has fully experienced all the changes within the team.

I'm not only not used to Marchionne's tough style, but I'm also feeling tired of it.

Having an ambitious boss always makes work more challenging.

At this moment, Marchionne, who was about to leave the meeting room, suddenly said:

"Martina, I have something to talk to you about."

Martina had no choice but to stand up and go to the Boss's office.

Marchionne's hands-on approach meant that his office was located on a floor full of mechanics and engineers.

"sit."

Marchionne sat down in his chair, looking rather somber.

"Is there any work that needs to be arranged?" Martina asked.

"Yes, you see, we've lost all hope of winning the title this year," Marchionne said.

Martina nodded. Vettel was 105 points behind Wu Shi, and with only 5 games left in the season, it was a score that was impossible to catch up with.

“But in reality, Vettel is only 15 points behind Lewis, isn’t he?” Marchionne said.

Martina nodded again, it seemed that Marchionne agreed with what Vettel had just said, so she waited for him to continue.

“If Wu Shi weren’t with Mercedes, we would actually still be in contention for the championship,” Marchionne said.

“But Wu Shi happens to be working for Mercedes, which is a fact we cannot change,” Martina said.

"Of course, I mean I know all of this. We are fully aware of the five-year contract he signed with Mercedes."

Marchionne's words confused Martina. "What's the point of all that talk?" she thought.

“What a pity! Wu Shi was the closest to us at the time,” Marchionne said.

Ferrari has been in contact with Wu Shi since 2014, whether through Martina or through dedicated personnel.

Without exception, however, the price they offered was not enough, although this was not the main reason.

"Do you think, if, if Wu Shi were on our team this year, we could win this world championship?" Marchionne asked.

Martina frowned, thought for a moment, and said:
"Boss, such assumptions are meaningless. Getting points depends on many factors."

"If you have to guess, I would definitely favor Wu Shi. I would say that his chances of winning the championship are definitely greater than they are now."

Martina knew that Marchionne asked her this question because he was concerned about her relationship with Wu Shi, so she decided to tell the truth.

Besides, after these three seasons, no one can deny Wu Shi's skill level.

Marchionne pondered for a long time, as if he had made a decision, and said:

"We still want to sign Wu Shi, and we are prepared to pay a high enough price."

Now it was Martina's turn to think.

Is Marchionne in such a hurry?

She understood, after all, Marchionne had promised to bring Ferrari back to the F1 championship when he was in charge, and that was his goal.

But didn't we just talk about Wu Shi's contract with Mercedes-Benz? She doesn't think such a big contract can be breached so easily.

After careful consideration, Martina said:

"Although he is close to me, I cannot control his choices, and he will not disclose his contract with Mercedes to me casually. I do not know the consequences of breaching the contract."

“Yes, go ask him. I can offer a high enough price. If he comes to Ferrari, I can get you to work with him,” Marchionne said.

Martina wasn't particularly excited when she heard Marchionne's promise.

Wu Shi is doing well at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, so why would he come to the Ferrari?

As for exchanging the so-called team leader position, she felt it was unrealistic; it was just empty promises.

Moreover, can a team leader who is directly and forcibly promoted really unify the various departments? Even though she has already rotated through multiple positions.

Another point of regret for Marchionne this year is that Wu Shi blocked Vettel's path to the championship.

In other words, Marchionne's alleged poaching might simply be an attempt to disrupt the good working relationship between Wu Shi and Mercedes.

In the paddock, it's normal to recruit top drivers, but there are also big pitfalls in the process.

Martina agreed and understood; she just needed to pass on the message.

As Wu Shi's identity changes, the situation he faces in the hunting grounds will become increasingly complex.

However, she suddenly found it somewhat amusing that Marchionne had such a bad temper during the meeting, yet the blame was placed on Wu Shi.

Martina did not contact Wu Shi immediately, intending to wait until she arrived in Japan to discuss it further.

Just before the Japanese Grand Prix, Leclerc secured another victory, successfully becoming the F2 World Champion!

This young man, who lost his father this year, did not succumb to the loss of his loved one and bravely fought against all grief.

His outstanding performance led Ferrari to offer him a Sauber seat, and they even hoped to produce another Wu Shi.

Renault has brought in a new talent: Massin Budkovsky, the former head of the FIA's technical department.

Massin will become the executive director of the Renault Sport F1 team in April 2018.

This move sparked widespread discontent in the paddock.

Because Massin is very familiar with the rule changes next year, this signing is tantamount to Renault having prior knowledge of the technical regulations.

Renault stated publicly that this was just a normal personnel change and that they would not exploit it. As they announced, Massin will not take office until April next year, and this will not affect the fairness of technology development.

Faced with this non-violation-compliant agreement, the other teams could only protest, arguing that merely delaying the appointment by a few months was meaningless and that the mandatory inactivity period for such personnel changes should be extended.

However, these were just words; apart from the team owner wanting to impose restrictions, none of the subordinates wanted such restrictions.

On Thursday, October 5th, Wu Shi arrived in Japan. Shortly after arriving at the hotel, he received a message from Martina saying that she had something to talk to him about.

"OK, I'll just drop something off and head over."

Wu Shi was somewhat surprised. Martina usually only needed to make a phone call to talk to him about things, and rarely invited him in such a formal way.

He quickly thought of Ferrari, but surely not? Mercedes' big contract isn't something that can be easily breached.

(End of this chapter)