15/04/2014
NEWS STORY
The day after Ferrari and Stefano Domenicali part company, Technical Director Pat Fry admits the Italian team faces a major challenge moving forward.
Other than the fact that Domenicali was hugely popular, and many see him as the sacrificial lamb, even if the team had achieved little under his leadership, his replacement, Marco Mattiacci, is an unknown quantity and while he has proven himself as an 'Automotive Executive' this doesn't necessarily mean he can cut the mustard as the boss of an F1 team... especially a team where the expectation is so great.
Putting a brave face on things, at a time when many are wondering where the axe will fall next, Fry is aware of the task ahead of him and his teammates.
"We are naturally working as hard as we can on closing the gap to the top teams, with Mercedes having a reasonable lead over the rest of the field," said the Englishman.
"Currently, our first priority is to establish ourselves as the second best team," he admitted. "We are looking at all areas of the car, power unit, aero, suspension.
"We are trying to make as big a step as we can for each and every race. Since Bahrain, it's been a very busy time for us, as we examined all areas of car performance from the power unit to suspension configurations and aerodynamic improvements."
Chris Balfe