Flavio Briatore believes that Ferrari set expectations too high for themselves amid another challenging start to the campaign for the team. After suffering reliability problems on Charles Leclerc's car at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the team faced another difficult weekend in Saudi Arabia, with Carlos Sainz and Leclerc finishing behind the Mercedes duo in P6 and P7 respectively. Speaking on Italian radio, Briatore argued that the Scuderia have experienced problems for quite some time. "It is not now that something very strange is happening at Ferrari this year," the Italian said. "How many years since they won the title? Last year the start was good, but then the FIA changed the rules and suddenly the team was no longer competitive."
How Briatore would address Ferrari situation
When asked what he would have done if in charge at Ferrari, Briatore explained: "If I had been part of Ferrari, I would have laid down for those rule changes. Politically, the team also has to take a closer look. "Moreover, the previous CEO only wanted Italians to work at Ferrari. That's not going to work in an international sport like Formula 1. That makes no sense at all. "Last year, in my opinion, the team should have put everything on Leclerc, because the world title is only won by one driver. He felt better in the Ferrari car, so then you have to put all your money on him."
Team structure at Ferrari
Briatore thinks that the internal structure at Ferrari could also be improved. "Before, it was always clear who to go to for important matters, from [Jean] Todt to [Stefano] Domenicali as team bosses, it was always that way," he added. "Within the current team, you miss that. You don't know who to talk to. "[Frederic] Vasseur has now come to the team, I know him well. He is a good man and has the right capabilities. Nobody should blame Vasseur, because the SF-23 was already made before he came. "He has to build the team, shop around from other teams. In Maranello, I have seen for years that people are not looking at other teams for personnel. That way the team can get back on track. "Look at Aston Martin. Who would have thought they would be where they are now? Lawrence Stroll tackled it well by being intelligent in the transfer market. Ferrari needs to find young talents, which is doable. "It is not easy to bring Brits to Maranello, but to give a quality boost, you need new ideas. The world has changed, Ferrari has to change with it."
Briatore: Ferrari not brilliant with communication
Another area in which Briatore believes that Ferrari need to change is in how they communicate their expectations ahead of a season. "Ferrari isn't exactly brilliant in terms of communication either," the former Renault team boss said. "In winter they are always World Champions, and then.... Again this year, I heard a certain manager say that this Ferrari car was the fastest he had ever seen. Those are the kind of things that make fans doubt and make them angry. You shouldn't promise anything! "Not everything can already be thrown away, by the way, because Leclerc did well in qualifying last Saturday. Ferrari has created a lot of expectations, but other teams have done a better job. "Red Bull is performing as expected, Aston Martin has done handsomely. Ferrari always creates high expectations. Start by winning some races first."
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