Newly instated Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has passionately vowed to bring the marque back as a winning force in Formula 1.
As Fernando Alonso remains strongly linked to defect to the new 2015 McLaren-Honda alliance, Marchionne has delivered a frank speech to journalists at the Paris Motor Show.
Ferrari (fourth in points) is fighting Williams for third place in the Constructor's Championship and has not won a title since Kimi Raikkonen's late season effort to topple McLaren in 2007.
“A non-winning Ferrari on the Formula 1 track is not Ferrari,” Marchionne, who replaced Luca di Montezemolo after the Italian Grand Prix last month as Ferrari chief, said.
“I keep on being reminded … that racing is not a science. I keep on being reminded there are a number of factors that impact on performance,” he said.
“And then I go to Monza (home of the Italian grand prix) and I see the first six cars on the grid not being Ferrari and not being powered by Ferrari engines and my blood pressure, as much as I keep it under control . . . just popped.
“We have had phenomenal drivers and we continue to have what I consider to be the world's best driver (Alonso) on our staff. (But) somehow the chemistry and the mixture of all this has not worked.
“That continues to be my main objective in terms of Ferrari going forward.
“I can live with periods of bad luck and I've had them God knows, personally or otherwise.
“But it cannot become as a structural element of the brand.
“We're not, we're not in the top three, so let's go risk something. We may screw up but we have nothing to lose here, right?”
“We've got to go kick some arse, and we've got to do it quickly,” Marchionne said.
While Alonso's current contract with the Maranello marque runs until 2016, the double world champion's future is expected to be resolved in the coming weeks.