Almost every Formula One driver dreams of one day racing draped in a bright red suit. It signifies the highest status of the Formula One hierarchy: being a Scuderia Ferrari driver. The Ferrari legacy is one of the most notable in the history of the sport. They are the team with the most Constructors Championships, sitting at a comfortable sixteen wins. They’ve had some of the best drivers race for them, including Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc, and, most recently, Lewis Hamilton. Of this list of drivers, seven have been World Champions multiple times. However, the team’s performance has lacked significantly in recent decades. They haven’t produced a championship win since Raikkonen won them their last title in 2008. This hasn’t deterred drivers from flocking to the Italian-based team as they chase the promise of excellence that they think only Ferrari can offer. Even though I’ve been a Ferrari fan ever since I got into the sport, I’ve always wondered why this team has such a magnetic pull that draws everyone into their orbit.
One part of the Scuderia’s magnetism is the fact that it’s been around as long as the sport has. Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia as a manufacturing company for Alfa Romeo cars, later making the pivot to creating their own cars and ultimately making it into Formula One. Some of the original legends of the sport like Ascari and Fangio, raced for Ferrari and had extreme success in their career, with both winning the World Driver’s Championship. For aspiring drivers, being a part of Ferrari is like stepping into the history of the sport they’ve dedicated their lives to.
It’s also helped that, over the years, Ferrari has created quite the reputation for themselves with their countless notable drivers. Many world champions have passed through the gates of Maranello, but none have been quite as notable as the reign of Michael Schumacher. “Joining the team in 1996, Schumacher’s work ethic, skill, and determination led to an unprecedented era of dominance,” Umut Akbulut reported for Medium. Schumacher won five consecutive championships with the team and heralded a new age of Ferrari excellence. Apart from Schumacher, some notable names in the Scuderia’s history include Niki Lauda, with his impressive 1975 and 1977 championships, and Alberto Ascari, who also won back-to-back championships in the 1950’s. Drivers from all different teams have been drawn by the promise of a team that was built off the success of these former drivers.
Sadly, Ferrari isn’t what it once was. As someone who joined the sport when Ferrari was no longer one of the top two teams, I’ve spent many races frustrated with their execution and strategies. Even though they’ve had extremely strong driver lineups over the years — which have included Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, and Lewis Hamilton — they haven’t been able to capitalize on it the way they used to. Races where they could’ve won or finished on the podium have been ruined by technical errors and bad strategies. A famous example of this was Leclerc’s botched home race win during the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix. After a bad tire choice and confusing radio message, Leclerc was forced to wait in the pit lane while the team finished changing his then teammate’s, Carlos Sainz, tires. That was the moment the possibility of a first win in his home town slipped from the Monegasque’s grasp.
It’s difficult to see Ferrari’s star dwindle from what it used to be. They aren’t the only top dogs in the sport anymore. Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren have all stepped up their game and gone toe-to-toe with the red cars for several seasons, and they’ve usually come out on top. What I think Ferrari is lacking at the moment is direction. For the last couple of years, it seems that they rely more on their fans’ support and cling to strategies that simply don’t work in the newest age of the sport.
Even though they frustrate me sometimes, I do see the excellence of Ferrari, and I constantly think about what could be. It’s difficult to not get sucked up into the rich history of the team and everything they’ve overcome, and I can see why the drivers hold it in such high esteem. This newest Formula One season indicated a new start, not only for the Scuderia, but for every team. The newest regulations to the sport marks the start of the use of sustainable fuels and a complete shift in car design. Everything is new this season, which means that anybody has the opportunity to be the ones who get it right. I hope that Ferrari can use this new change to their advantage and remind us why they are one of the most famous teams in the sport.