In a letter to Exor shareholders, John Elkann also spoke about the Ferrari racing department, praising its commitment to Formula 1 and the WEC and quoting the words of Lewis Hamilton who will join Ferrari from next year to write a new chapter for the Scuderia .
Elkann, Ferrari's results are an example
2024 has started significantly better for Scuderia Ferrari than the previous season. With 4 podium finishes in 4 Grands Prix it has proven to be the most consistent car so far. Even Red Bull had problems in Australia, and this partly contributed to Ferrari's one-two, which thus achieved their first victory of the season. After last season's announcements, the team preferred to be cautious with the SF-24 which, compared to the SF-23, manages to express its strengths especially in the race.
A turnaround that goes hand in hand with that of the team rebuilt by Frederic Vasseur. At the moment Ferrari is firmly second in the championship. The gap with Red Bull is there but it is still less clear than what Aston Martin and Mercedes had last year. With the necessary developments the team knows it can challenge for victory on other tracks too.
For this reason Elkann decided to hold Ferrari up as an example for shareholders, also mentioning who will join the team in 2025, namely Lewis Hamilton. The arrival of the 7-time world champion brought the fans' enthusiasm to the stars.
The words of Elkann
“2024 will be a year in which we accelerate our goal of building great companies through the right alignment of ownership, governance and leadership,” Elkann wrote. There Scuderia Ferrari is providing a good example of such progress, having started the new F1 season with several podium finishes. With success, it is important to keep Lewis Hamilton's words in mind (who will join the Scuderia next season): “In racing there are always things to learn, every single day. There's always room for improvement, and I think that goes for everything in life.” His words recall one of Exor's pairs of values: Ambition and Humility. "
“We can't wait – continues Elkann – to celebrate further victories with customers and fans and employees with Benedetto Vigna and his leadership team maintaining their 'tires firmly on the ground' approach. Elkann then closed the letter with the image of the Australian Grand Prix where Ferrari achieved their first double of the season, a double that had been missing since 2022.
Among the topics mentioned, especially as winning examples, the WEC could not be missing, with the victory at Le Mans arriving in 2023, after 50 years. “After twenty-four hours of intense competition, amidst difficult conditions and with mental determination, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado achieved victory at the end of 342 laps on the famous French circuit. Was a perfect return for the Prancing Horse, after an absence of fifty years, as well as his tenth overall victory in this legendary race. The efforts of the mechanics, engineers and drivers, combined with the absolute commitment of the team and its fans, highlight Ferrari's ability to combine performance and passion like no other."
Source statements: Gazette, FormulaPassion
