Apart from being one of the most renowned producers of exotic sports cars in the world, Ferrari also happens to be possibly the greatest team in the history of Formula 1. They have been around since the championship's inception in 1950 and have won multiple races and titles since. They have gone through their fair share of issues too, just like any other team, but they somehow always emerged stronger.
2019 saw a new era heralded in for the team. They took on youngster Charles Leclerc, and he certainly made waves. He won two races and took the most pole positions of anyone in F1 that season. But, that came with big baggage for the team.
That isn’t the only thing Ferrari has to worry about this year, though. There are multiple issues surrounding this amazing F1 team that will surely carry on to this season, so here are 15 of the biggest problems Ferrari will face in 2020.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting season for the Scuderia, but they have to make progress in order to beat Mercedes.
15 Inter-Team Rivalry
The inter-team rivalry for 2020 at the Scuderia is a big talking point. Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel are two drivers who do not want to become number two. So what will happen this year? Who knows. Brazil 2019 showed things could get serious... and bad. Expect a lot of fireworks as the year goes on.
14 Internal Politics
The internal politics at Ferrari certainly seem to take hold. Team bosses are changed like socks, and the decision making seems to never be clear. Sebastian Vettel has often made his own decisions going against the team on strategy. Whatever happens this year, it will be interesting to see what goes on within the team.
13 Renewal of Vettel’s Contract
The renewal of Vettel’s contract is surely going to be a priority for Ferrari. With Charles Leclerc tied down until the end of 2024, locking down the other seat would be ideal early on in the year. But will they do that? Rumour does currently have it that the team is keen on locking Vettel in again fairly soon.
12 Team Strategy Calls
We have briefly touched upon the inter-team wrangling at Ferrari, but the strategy calls are one of the biggest issues the team faces. So many times have they blundered when it comes to decisions on the pit wall, with Mercedes often having the upper hand. For 2020, they have to be on their A-game to beat Mercedes.
11 Mercedes Dominant Form
Beating those Silver Arrows, a team that won six titles on the spin, is going to be perhaps the toughest challenge the team is going to face this year. They have the drivers for it, and hopefully, they will have the car for it too. The early races will be very telling.
10 The Rise Of Red Bull
Red Bull has also started to make inroads. The switch to Honda power seems to have gone down well and Max Verstappen took three wins and two pole positions in 2019. And they had certainly closed up to Ferrari come to the end of the year. Albon and Verstappen could be hard for Ferrari to overcome.
9 A Hungry Leclerc
This might sound like a good thing; a hungry young gun, who's the future of the team. But that could work against Ferrari. Two alpha males rarely go down well in a Grand Prix team and if he and Vettel really lock horns, things could get incredibly interesting. It will be hard for Ferrari to manage this.
8 Young Management Structure
We don’t mean a young structure in terms of age, per se, but more in the sense that the current management has not been in charge of the team for long. That’s the issue. And it showed last year with all the indecisions and the lackluster strategy calls. Things need to click very fast.
7 Reliability Concerns
Some of you might be surprised to see this on the list. For the most part, reliability was good for Ferrari in 2019. But, an engine issue cost Leclerc victory in Bahrain. Another issue hurt Vettel in qualifying for Austria and both drivers had problems in Germany. Those kinds of issues cost the team better results, and they must be ironed out in 2020.
6 Fighting Over 2021 Rules
This does not just apply to Ferrari. It will apply to all the teams on the grid. The 2021 rules are all but finalized. But things are still not totally signed and sealed. This will be interesting to watch, as Ferrari and the others try and wrangle for the best deal possible for themselves.
5 Overcoming 2019 Car Weaknesses
The 2019 Ferrari had some strong points; it was fast in a straight line and suited perfectly to tracks like Spa and Monza. But, the team's low drag concept hurt them at most tracks, and the SF-90H ate up its tires much quicker than the Mercedes and Red Bull. Those faults need to be ironed out for this season.
4 Forgetting Engine Controversy
Ferrari made big gains on the engine front in 2019. But, that come with accusations of how they burnt oil and harnessed all that extra power. Things got very political behind the scenes, especially with Red Bull. This year, they need to show that they have that advantage, and that it's fully above board as well.
3 Tracks That Suit The Car
This we have touched upon briefly already, but we can look at it again. A lot of the races that worked for Ferrari last year were at tracks that had lower levels of downforce, yet when it came to tracks like Monaco, the car suffered badly. Ferrari really needs to fix this in 2020 and make a car that can work almost anywhere, like Mercedes did.
2 Trying To Poach Lewis Hamilton
We aren’t sure if they are going to do this, but there were rumors around the holiday period that Ferrari was interested in Lewis Hamilton. And why wouldn’t they be? He’s a six-time world champion, and he really, really would make a great addition to the team. But do they risk it, or retain Vettel and help him regain his form?
1 Issues With The Tyres
This ties in nicely with the issues the car faced throughout 2019. While the cars of Mercedes and Red Bull were fairly gentle on the tires, the Ferrari somehow ate them for breakfast. Not everywhere, but it was still an issue. This is another problem that needs to be addressed for 2020, as it would allow the team to take the fight to its rivals.