Ferrari must consider McLaren-like stability - Villadelprat

Ferrari needs to follow McLaren's example and add crucial stability to its recipe for success.

Joan Villadelprat

Photo by: xpb.cc

That is the claim of veteran engineer Joan Villadelprat, who wrote in his column for the Spanish newspaper El Pais that British team McLaren "is clearly" better than Ferrari at developing a car during a season.

"Why did this happen if both teams have unlimited budgets and engineers of the highest level? It's not just a technical issue," he wrote.

Villadelprat thinks one reason could be Ferrari's status, encapsulated by "the tifosi, national honour, the media ... Ferrari must win every race and every championship".

"This pressure is leading the team to make quick decisions, and sometimes wrong ones," he said. "There is no stability and therefore a lack of trust with the employees.

"At McLaren, it is quite the opposite. Ron Dennis has been very concerned about turning his team into a kind of family where everyone is supported and where ideas are valued.

"There is little change ... people feel valued and give 150 per cent."

And ahead of the 2012 season, while McLaren can base its next championship on a solid past season in the bid to chase down Red Bull, it is all change once again at Ferrari.

"Under the requirement of victory, Ferrari has made radical changes, relocating people and seeking innovative solutions that are not copied but will be copied. And that carries a high risk," said Villadelprat.