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Ferrari Warned of “Toxic” Blame Culture Amid Horrific F1 Showings Shattering World Title Hopes

Published 03/30/2023, 10:30 AM EDT

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Generally, just two races into the season, it wouldn’t be prudent to make any solid predictions about how the championship battle will prevail. However, this season is a bit different. That is to say, Red Bull is by far the fastest team, and the Driver’s and Constructors’ championships are essentially sewn up. But who is to blame for this one-sided championship fight in 2023? Many will point the finger at Ferrari. Only two races in, statistically, their lead driver Charles Leclerc has suffered his worst start to a season in F1. Mind you, he once drove for a team that finished 8th in 2018.

With the lack of pace and reliability, the championship hopes for the Tifosi are already over. But given the stature of the prancing horse in this sport, there still prevails some hope for the future. That being said, for it to prevail, the Scuderia must avoid one crucial mistake that has somewhat become a trend at the team from Maranello in the recent past.

Ferrari is on the brink of becoming a toxic team

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While talking about the squalid season the Scuderia has been suffering this year, ex-Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley said, “Once you start laying the blame at individuals or individual departments, it becomes very difficult, it becomes very toxic. And Ferrari have to be very careful that that does not happen.”

via Reuters

And there was once a man in Smedley’s opinion who led by this very example. “Certainly when I was there, you know, I think the absolute master of that, if I can call one person that, would be Ross Brawn,” revealed the 49-year-old.

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While Smedley went decades into the past, Ferrari can also look into their recent past to dig up an example to stop this blame culture from squirming into their systems.

How Ferrari’s disgraced ex-boss can be an inspiration to the team now

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When Maurizio Arrivabene was at the helm of the team, they were arguably the closest to winning the championship. In 2017 and 2018, the team came so close with Sebastian Vettel, but alas, the same mistakes that plague them today crept in. Probably this is why Ferrari sacked him, too. But during one of his last appearances as Ferrari’s boss, he laid down a precedent that would inspire the team today.

After the Abu Dhabi GP in 2018, the media confronted Arrivabene about how mistakes from the team and Vettel toppled their title bid. He replied, “I don’t want to point the finger on the team or on the driver. If we are losing, we are losing together. If we’re winning, we’re winning together. And that’s it.”

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Watch this story: Lewis Hamilton Jumps Off a Plane Amidst His Mental Health Woes

Can Ferrari look to the past for inspiration and get their act together in 2023?

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Written by:

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. In his pursuit for a Bachelor's degree in Law from Symbiosis Law School, he has written multiple academic papers centered around the domain of motorsports. Not only that, but due to his love for F1, he aims to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world some day.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare