Former Ferrari Engineer Rob Smedley on Scuderia's 2025 Struggles: 'Horrible Situation'

Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley has offered a candid assessment of the Scuderia's turbulent 2025 season, highlighting the immense pressure within Maranello when the team is not performing and lacks a clear path forward. Smedley emphasized the dangers of short-term thinking that often plagues the team in times of crisis.

Why it matters:

Ferrari's struggles in 2025 are not just about race results; they reflect a deeper organizational challenge that has historically hampered the team. Understanding the internal dynamics and the tendency to prioritize immediate fixes over long-term strategic development is crucial for diagnosing why one of F1's most iconic teams often finds itself in a 'vicious circle' of underperformance.

The details:

• Internal Pressure Cooker: Smedley, a former race engineer for Felipe Massa at Ferrari, described Maranello as "not a great place to be... when things aren't going well and there isn't a clear way out."
• The Vicious Circle: He noted that Ferrari's internal culture can lead to "an inordinate amount of pressure" that fosters a "vicious circle" where the team becomes trapped, focusing on short-term solutions rather than long-term strategies.
• Short-term Thinking: According to Smedley, when Ferrari faces pressure due to a lack of success, there's a strong tendency to seek immediate relief, believing that alleviating current pressure will allow them to eventually focus on winning championships. He states unequivocally: "It will never work."
  • This short-term focus, Smedley asserts, prevents the team from addressing fundamental issues necessary for sustained success.
• Personal Experience: Smedley recounted his own experience in such situations, calling it "horrible" and "not a nice place to be."
• A Call for Unity: Despite the challenges, he believes that if the team remains united and eliminates "all of the outside noise," they can overcome their difficulties.

The big picture:

Ferrari's current predicament echoes historical patterns of pressure leading to reactive decisions rather than proactive, strategic development. The legacy of former team principals like Mattia Binotto, who despite leading competitive periods in 2019 and 2022, ultimately couldn't secure a world title, underscores the deep-seated issues that go beyond individual leadership. The challenge for Ferrari is to break this cycle and foster an environment where long-term vision triumphs over immediate crisis management.

What's next:

Smedley, still emotionally invested in his former team, expressed hope that Ferrari can navigate their current difficulties. He emphasized that it's "up to them to get themselves out of it." The Scuderia's ability to unite, filter out external distractions, and commit to a sustainable long-term strategy will be critical in determining whether they can emerge from this turbulent period and reclaim their position at the pinnacle of Formula 1.