Ferrari big boss Sergio Marchionne is never short of a word or two when his team is winning or struggling, and in the aftermath of their thorough defeat at the British Grand Prix he has delivered a rallying cry no doubt aimed at galvanising the troops in his own unique style.
Speaking to staff at Maranello this week, Marchionne declared, “I know you are the same team from Monte Carlo and the start of the season.”
He was referring to the last victory the Reds enjoyed in Monaco. But since then victories have dried up, while Mercedes appear to have found an extra gear. Their one-two at Silverstone a significant blow to Ferrari who were dogged with extraordinary bad luck on the day.
But Marchionne is relentless in his expectations of his team, “We cannot mourn this negative result but instead I expect an immediate reaction. We have always known our opponent was very strong and dominant for years but I am convinced we will get back where we were.”
Man of few words, team chief Maurizio Arrivabene, who is actively avoiding the media but did concede after the last race, “Even if the reasons are obvious, complaining about losing a second and a fourth place is not Ferrari’s style.”
And echoed the words of his boss, “The hard fact is that we lost a lot of points in both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships. We leave here, set on improving quickly, with humility and determination.”
After ten rounds the constructors’ title is increasingly elusive for the Italian team as they trail Mercedes by 55 points. Tellingly, in the last four races Mercedes have scored 151 points while Ferrari have only amassed 82 points.
The drivers’ championship battle is now delicately poised with Sebastian Vettel a point ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the standings. Ahead of the British Grand Prix the German led by 20 points.
Ferrari fans will be wary of the gap Mercedes enjoyed to their rivals at Silverstone. Hamilton was a half second faster than Vettel in qualifying. In the race the Briton was untouchable, while Valtteri in the other Silver Arrows turned ninth on the grid (thanks to penalties) to second in the race.
In the race Ferrari had a luckless final few laps as both their cars suffered punctures and as a result Vettel saw a certain third place turn to seventh, while a sure second place for Kimi Raikkonen became third place.
On a positive side the Formula 1 circus sets up camp at Hungaroring next, a track that should suit the Reds but at the same time the rate of progress by the Silver Arrows will make it an interesting weekend in the title fight.
Big Question: Will Ferrari bounce back?