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Scuderia Ferrari has announced a restructure of its technical department after a lacklustre start to the 2020 Formula 1 season.
Ferrari is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship with a single podium to its name in the first three races, and has been notably down on engine performance.
The restructure is aimed at making the technical department “more effective” and to “assure a more holistic emphasis on performance development.”
It includes the creation of a ‘Performance Development’ department to be led by Enrico Cardile, but “The other main areas are unchanged with Enrico Gualtieri in charge of the Power Unit, Laurent Mekies as Sporting Director and in charge of trackside activities, while Simone Resta will continue to lead the Chassis Engineering department,” acccording to its announcement.
Team Principal Mattia Binotto declared his confidence in Ferrari’s personnel while explaining the need for the new structure.
“As hinted at a few days ago, we are making changes to the technical side of the organisation so as to speed up the design and development on the car performance front,” he said.
“A change of direction was needed to define clear lines of responsibility and working processes, while reaffirming the company’s faith in its technical talent pool.
“The department run by Enrico Cardile will be able to count on the experience of Rory Byrne and established engineers such as David Sanchez. It will be the cornerstone of the car’s development.
“We believe Ferrari personnel are of the highest level and we have nothing to envy about our main competitors in this respect, but we had to make a decisive change, raising the bar in terms of the responsibilities of the department heads.”
However, Binotto warned that the restructure is not a quick fix for the struggles which the Maranello squad has endured so far this season.
“We have said it several times, but it’s worth repeating: we have started to lay the foundations of a process which should lead to a new and enduring winning cycle,” he added.
“It will take some time and we will suffer setbacks like the one we are experiencing right now in terms of results and performance.
“However, we must react to these shortcomings with strength and determination to get back to being at the very top of this sport as soon as possible.
“This is what we all want and what our fans all over the world expect of us.”
The next event is the British Grand Prix on July 31-August 2.
