There is no doubt, Red Bull is uncatchable on the track, and theyet another narrow victory in that of Baku. There stellar pole of Leclerc it wasn't enough to make the little horse hope for a victory, but Ferrari struggles to get back on top not only on the trackbut also in the paddock. L'farewell announcement by Laurent Mekies has annoyed the men of Maranello not a little, and Fred Vasseur seems to want to fix the mess by focusing on the negotiation involving the red and the Red Bull-AlphaTauri axis. On the plate there is a precious know-how that Vasseur can't wait to bring to Maranello.
The spark
It's no secret that the team principal Ferrari Frederic Vasseur has been working for weeks to strengthen the Scuderia's workforce. If a few weeks ago there was talk of small grafts, today the situation is certainly different. The Frenchman has already robbed Milton Keynes of one of the technicians who contributed the most to the development of the prodigious DRS of the RB19. The man with no name would already be at work, but he doesn't end there. In recent days, another indiscretion has also taken hold on a possible level arrival, that of Enrico Balbo, aerodynamic manager of the winged bull. News that at the moment, has been denied by the Germans of Car engine and sport. Vasseur would therefore not have been able to snatch Balbo from the Red Bull. A name which, in a regulatory era whose foundation lies in the interaction between the air and the single-seater, would have brought so much quality to the Ferrari shopping campaign.
Despite this, the Red Bull - Ferrari relationship remains of great attention. There would in fact be another 10 technicians of a lower rank, always arriving from Milton Keynes.
Mekies press release: a response from the Faenza-Milton Keynes axis?
No wonder for the drama of a few days ago. Alpha Tauri issued a statement announcing the departure of the historic team principal Franz Tost, in favor of the arrival of Laurent Mekies as team principal. The premature news issued by the Faenza offices made his nose turn up, and not even a little, to the men of Scuderia Ferrari. It's not crazy to think that the trick played on Ferrari is not even a veiled snub, but the victim in red seems ready to exploit an uncomfortable situation to try to gain an advantage.
Mekies still at the low wall: madness or strategy?
In the announcement of Tost's farewell at the end of 2023, Mekies' landing date is not specified. what is certain is that the sporting director will have to serve a period of gardening before becoming operational. On Sunday we saw him well framed on his usual stool at the Ferrari wall, and some immediately thought it was strange. In short, Mekies is full of information about Ferrari's past, present and future, and seeing it still on the "front page" doesn't seem like the genius of the century.
In the ambiguous situation involving the redhead and the one who will soon become a rival to all intents and purposes, there is a potential negotiation played out between the hospitality "casinos". Keeping Mekies at the short wall doesn't seem very sensible at first glance, but Vasseur's intentions may explain why this controversial move could help revive SF-23 development sooner rather than later.
Between exchanges and clashes
At the provocation of AlphaTauri, Vasseur was not long in coming. The message is clear: keeping Mekies at the short wall communicates to the AlphaTauri-Red Bull axis that the French engineer is not going anywhere at the moment, at least without something in return.
The intent of the Ferrari number 1 was to get something in return for Mekies' departure. Balbo was as turning point for Ferrari as he could have been impact on the 2024 single-seaterwhose genesis has already begun. But at the moment this trail seems to have vanished into thin air. But the dish is still rich and the scenario is destined to change again in the next few weeks, without ruling out some possible drama, in an already very tense atmosphere. Christian Horner was caught by photographers at the exit of the Ferrari hospitality in the Baku paddock in Azerbaijan. However, the team principal would not have appreciated the pressure from the photographers, so much so that he reiterated it with a rude gesture punctually taken from the lenses of Mark Sutton.
We still don't know who will prevail in this sort of "cold war" between Red Bull and Ferrari but one thing is certain: Vasseur's game bears witness to a cynicism resulting from the change of course compared to the Binotto era. The little horse has therefore adapted even more to the optimal modus operandi to get back on top, compounding Milton Keynes' technical hemorrhage just as Aston Martin did in the past months.
