Elkann’s F1 comments shows where Ferrari is going wrong

Lewis Hamilton is not having a happy time at Ferrari. But we should celebrate another British driver who is having the time of his life at the Italian marque. James Calado last month lifted the World Endurance Championship title alongside his team-mates Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. The trophy will sit nicely next to that of his 2023 Le Mans victory also achieved in the 499P. The championship win, which came after a fourth place at the Bahrain 8 Hours, is the first time since 1972 that Ferrari has lifted the title. And it means that since its return to top-tier sports car racing in 2023 after a 50-year absence, the team has now won Le Mans three times and the championship once.

“Calado’s WEC trophy will sit nicely next to that of his 2023 Le Mans win”

“This milestone fills us with pride and represents the fulfilment of a dream,” enthused John Elkann, the Ferrari chairman who was in Bahrain to witness the result. He went on to praise the spirit within the squad.

His words stand in contrast to those he used about his beleaguered Formula 1 team. As Mark Hughes reports on page 12, Elkann has thrown a hand grenade into the set-up by publicly lambasting Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. After praising the rest of the outfit he added: “We certainly have drivers who need to focus on driving and talk less, because we still have important races ahead of us and it’s not impossible to get second place.”

Not only is the intervention counterproductive – both drivers immediately took to social media with quietly furious responses – but it also shows where Ferrari is going wrong. As Mark reports, the most successful recent period for the Scuderia was the Brawn/Schumacher era, when the race team operated independently from management and was able to insulate itself from the Maranello politics.

Similarly the WEC crew under Antonello Coletta appears to have kept management at arm’s length – most likely because it is a fraction of the size of the F1 operation and the championship itself is less high-profile. The result is a lean team focused on track performance and as Calado can testify, it works.

To the Peninsula London hotel for a wander around the David Hockney art car which was parked in the lobby. It was there as part of a world tour of BMW’s famous fleet of daubed cars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the concept. The tour has moved on but visitors to Rétromobile in Paris can catch it in January. But the Peninsula itself is well worth a visit for motor sport enthusiasts, with archive film footage of pre-war racing on a loop while you wait for the lifts, and a top floor Brooklands bar featuring assorted racing memorabilia. Just the place for a festive eggnog pitstop.

Joe Dunn, editor
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