Confidence in the current team and optimism about the future. That’s the message which emerged from an interview that Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri gave to the New York Times. “I have total confidence in Mattia Binotto and his team,” affired Camilleri. “The results aren’t there to prove what I’m saying, but these things take time. Regretfully in the past, there has been too much pressure and a history of people being let go. There was somewhat of a revolving-door atmosphere, and I’m putting a stop to that.”
Stability. Camilleri underlined the importance of stability, referring to the Todt-Schumacher era and the Scuderia’s most recent rivals on track, pointing out that it takes time and a solid team without too many personnel changes, something that has been lacking at Ferrari in recent years. “So I want to ensure that stability remains in place, despite the unbelievable pressure there is on the team, particularly from the Italian media, who are quite brutal at times, calling for heads to roll, but that’s not the solution.”
Responsibility. The Prancing Horse CEO also spoke about the recent reorganisation of the technical department, giving individuals more responsibility in various roles. “I brought in a more long-term strategy, particularly in terms of investments,” he said. “Getting people to work more in teams, that always takes a bit of time,” he said. “You don’t change cultures overnight.” As for the future, Camilleri believes that “the situation cannot improve in 2021. For 2022, the new regulations come into play, and every time there has been a huge revolution in terms of the technical framework, it can change the pecking order. We have the talent, work ethic and determination to get there, and I’m confident we will be up there battling again.”
Projects. Camilleri also touched on the topic of expanding Ferrari’s race activities, looking at taking part in WEC in the prototype class as well as IndyCar in the USA. “In Indy, it depends somewhat on the flexibility in terms of their future regulations.” But a move into Formula E is not on the cards.