Stefano Domenicali has ruled out responding to Ferrari’s latest crisis with the old ‘rolling heads’ technique.

One perception in the paddock is that the fabled Italian team, under intense pressure from the Tifosi and president Luca di Montezemolo, often reacts by emotionally shedding staff, with Aldo Costa and Chris Dyer the obvious recent examples.

So, having installed new faces including Pat Fry but still struggling with the latest F2012 project, will boss Domenicali set heads rolling again?

“Firing people is the work of two minutes,” he is quoted by Germany’s Auto Bild, “but this would not solve our problem.

“Instead I need to find new people who can improve the organisation and push the engineers to improve the car,” added the Italian.

In the meantime, there is no silver bullet.

“I am not happy with the F2012 project,” he acknowledged.

“But if you want to see the glass half full rather than half empty, then Fernando has done a great damage control and, with an improved car, he at least has the possibility to continue to fight for the championship.

“We have to improve,” Domenicali insisted. “I have asked my people to wake up and respond, and I will no longer hear excuses.”

Chris Dyer has admitted a return to formula one next year is possible.
The Australian, formerly the title-winning engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, was ousted by Ferrari after the bungled race strategy that cost Fernando Alonso the championship in Abu Dhabi last year.

At Monza this weekend, he is making his first visit to the paddock since the ill-fated 2010 finale.

The big rumour ahead of the Italian grand prix is that Dyer could be snapped up by Mercedes, where his former Ferrari boss Ross Brawn is now team principal.

“I have many job offers,” Dyer confirmed to Brazilian journalist Livio Oricchio’s O Estado de S.Paulo column, “but I cannot go under contract until the end of the year.”

Ferrari’s former head of track engineering said F1 has not changed at all since 2010.

“It’s like Abu Dhabi was just last week,” Dyer, 42, smiled to the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.

He sounded only slightly bitter about the whole Ferrari affair.

“Look, we’re a team but ultimately I was responsible for the group of people who make the decisions, so in the end it was my responsibility.

“We’re not stupid, we don’t make decisions for fun. At the time we thought it (Alonso’s strategy) would give him the best chance to get the result we needed.

“We decided, we told Fernando and he made the stop. We are a group and no one was forced to do anything they didn’t want to do, we all thought it was right at the time.

“It was a bad experience but, in a sense, you have those experiences every week, every race, and looking at them again you would change them to make them better,” added Dyer.

Chris Dyer has returned to a formula one paddock for the first time since Ferrari’s bungled race strategy in Abu Dhabi ten months ago.
The Australian, formerly Ferrari’s head of track engineering, was ousted by the famous Italian team after Fernando Alonso failed to win the 2010 title at the last hurdle.

Italian publications Autosprint and La Gazzetta dello Sport said he was in the Monza paddock on Thursday.

And Finland’s Turun Sanomat said it possible that 42-year-old Dyer, who in the past also served as race engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen, could return to F1 with Mercedes next season.

Also linked with a Ross Brawn reunion at Mercedes is Aldo Costa, who was similarly ousted by Ferrari this year.

Brawn, now in charge at Mercedes GP, would not comment on his team’s structure.

And Dyer told Turun Sanomat: “I don’t want to talk about Ferrari, it’s not appropriate as I don’t work there any more.”

Chris Dyer could be set to return to Australia to continue his motor racing career.
After serving as Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen’s championship-winning race engineer at Ferrari, he was promoted by the famous Italian team to the role of head of engineering.

But Dyer, 42, was shunted aside to the road car division at Maranello after bungling Fernando Alonso’s race strategy in Abu Dhabi last year that cost the Spaniard the 2010 title.

According to News Limited press reports in Australia, Dyer could now return to his native country to take up a leading role with the V8 Supercar team Holden Racing Team.

He worked in Australia’s premier touring car series with Tom Walkinshaw-owned Holden in the mid nineties, earning promotion to F1 in 1997 with Walkinshaw’s Arrows team.

The latest reports said Dyer is in the frame to replace Holden Racing Team’s departed team manager Rob Crawford.

“The … role is a world-wide search,” confirmed Walkinshaw Racing’s commercial manager Bruce Stewart.

“I can’t comment on who but I can say they are looking at an extremely high calibre person for that role.”

Fernando Alonso has denied asking Ferrari to poach Pat Fry from McLaren.

Ferrari signed the former McLaren designer last year, while Alonso – who worked with Fry during his ill-fated single season with the British team in 2007 – was racing his first year with the famous Maranello based marque.

“When he arrived, he (Fry) brought new ideas, another way of working, fresh air,” Spaniard Alonso said during an interview with El Pais newspaper.

For 2011, Fry has taken over the chief engineering post formerly occupied by Chris Dyer, who took the blame for the championship-losing bungled strategy decision in Abu Dhabi.

Alonso said that, in contrast, “When making a decision, there was nothing that caught him (Fry) by surprise. It’s what we needed,” he insisted.

But when asked if he played a role in Fry’s recruitment, the two-time champion said: “No. I was told about it the day before it was announced.”

Chris Dyer’s redefined role at Ferrari is factory-based and on “the production side”, according to a specialist report.

Following the race strategy gaffe that cost Fernando Alonso the 2010 title, Australian Dyer was stepped down as head of track engineering.

Ferrari said he would get a “redefined” role for 2011.

An article by veteran correspondent Heikki Kulta in Finland’s Turun Sanomat claims that role is relating to production, with 42-year-old Dyer – formerly race engineer to Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen – to be stationed at Maranello.

The report also said Schumacher would be happy to reunite with Dyer at Mercedes.

Ferrari’s post-Dyer engineering structure features ex McLaren and Red Bull men Pat Fry and Neil Martin in newly prominent roles.

Ferrari’s high profile new recruit Neil Martin will not travel to grands prix in 2011.
The information emerged from the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort as team sponsor Marlboro’s annual ‘Wrooom’ media event jointly staged with Ducati started in earnest.

200 members of the specialist media are reporting from the scene in the Italian Dolomites this week, where the details of Ferrari’s revamped team structure for 2011 will be made clearer.

Martin, a 38-year-old Briton who was a chief strategist at Red Bull, is heading the team’s new operations research department, so is expected to stay at Maranello when the race team travels to races.

Australian Chris Dyer, whose new “redefined” role will also be clarified this week, has lost his job as head of race track engineering after calling the strategy that cost Fernando Alonso the 2010 drivers’ title.

Martin is to head the remote operations unit where a dozen engineers will work and analyse decisions away from the noise and stress of the pitlane and feed their conclusions to the pitwall, the news agency Sapa reported based on information from Italian media sources.

A cheeky Italian journalist risked the ire of Luca di Montezemolo on Tuesday during the Ferrari president’s annual Christmas dinner for the country’s media.

Asked what Christmas present he is planning for Fernando Alonso, the 63-year-old replied: “What the heck do you give him?

“He earns enough,” laughed Montezemolo, who gave each of the reporters a model of this year’s F10. “And I already give him a F1 car!” he quipped.

Amused that Montezemolo seemed not to be planning a gift at all, the questioner cheekily hit back: “I’m not asking you what you’re going to give Chris Dyer…”

Chief engineer and Australian Dyer is thought at risk of losing his job after bungling the race strategy that cost Alonso the drivers’ title last month in Abu Dhabi.

Montezemolo repeated again that Ferrari is not planning a major staff upheaval before the 2011 season, but that “some adjustments” are likely to take place.

He also played down rumours he is preparing to enter Italian politics, or that Ferrari to be floated on the stock exchange.

Montezemolo will similarly meet with international journalists on Thursday.

Andy Shovlin has been promoted to the role of chief driver engineer at Mercedes GP for 2011, according to reports.

Earlier this month, as it emerged that both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will have new race engineers next season, we reported that Briton Shovlin “will have a more general engineering role next year”.

This year, Shovlin – who worked alongside Jenson Button when the Briton won the 2009 title with the Brackley based team – was Schumacher’s race engineer.

But it is believed the seven time world champion will be engineered next season by long time McLaren man Mark Slade, who arrives from Renault after working with Vitaly Petrov.

“We are changing the organisation in the same direction as Ferrari,” Schumacher is quoted by the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.

At Ferrari, Schumacher was engineered by Chris Dyer, but the Australian then moved on to his current role with the Italian team of chief track engineer.

Schumacher confirmed: “There will be a chief engineer responsible for both the drivers.”

Asked about his targets for the second year of his F1 comeback, the German said: “I believe next year I can be going for the podium in some races, but that it is still too early for the championship.

“Our technical differences to the top teams has been reduced, but not quite enough,” he conceded.

French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet wrote in his latest Auto Plus column that he believes the W01 car’s successor has been fired up for the first time at Brackley.

On the other hand, Auto Motor und Sport in Germany reports that Adrian Newey is once again late with his new Red Bull design, due to delaying final decisions about how to integrate the heavy components for KERS.

Luca di Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali have played down reports that heads will roll as a result of Ferrari’s championship loss in 2010.

Italian reports had warned chief engineer Chris Dyer was in the spotlight after the bungled race strategy in Abu Dhabi that cost Fernando Alonso the title.

“Changes within the team? That is not our philosophy, because for years now we have adopted a policy based on dynamic stability,” said president Montezemolo at the marque’s end-of-season event at Valencia.

“A few minor adjustments are possible, but no major upheaval,” he insisted.

Team boss Domenicali had also been singled out as a potential scapegoat for the 2010 outcome, but Montezemolo said he is “very happy” with the Italian’s work.

Domenicali also told Corriere della Sera that the idea of major staff changes has been ruled out.

“I could have followed the emotional wave after Singapore 2008, when the fuel nozzle was left attached to Massa’s car.

“But that man was one of the protagonists of the winning pitstop at Monza this year,” insisted Domenicali.

Another touted potential ousting prior to the new campaign in 2011 is Felipe Massa, but Montezemolo said he is “sure” the struggling Brazilian will be back to top form next season.

Massa has singled out Bridgestone’s tyres as the root of his problems this year, and was pleased with his first taste of the 2011 Pirellis in Abu Dhabi recently.

“First impressions are very positive,” he said. “Sure, there is still work to do, but it was a really good day.”

Staff changes as the result of Ferrari’s failed championship campaign in 2010 are on the horizon, according to Italian reports.

Autosprint magazine reports that it is “not a secret” that the man most directly in the spotlight is Australian Chris Dyer, Ferrari’s chief engineer and in charge of race strategies.

“We need an improved car and we must also ensure that mistakes that we made as drivers and as a team are not repeated in 2011,” Fernando Alonso is quoted as saying.

And the Italian daily La Repubblica asked Ferrari’s technical director Aldo Costa if “heads will roll” as a consequence of the failed strategy in Abu Dhabi.

“I’m not for the automatic ‘error-guilt-punishment’ (approach),” he answered.

“I prefer a more rational response, where we understand what happened and what went wrong, and then we act,” added Costa.

He also said it is wrong to point the finger at one individual.

“We must make sure that certain decisions are shared, with responsibility not resting on one set of shoulders.

“But, anyway, we didn’t lose the championship because of the strategy in Abu Dhabi, but because our car was not as fast as another,” added Costa.

He is confident that the F10′s 2011 successor will be faster.

“This year we did reduce the gap to Red Bull,” said Costa.

“What we have done is revolutionise our working methods and this meant a period of adjustment. And we paid for having a wind tunnel that was a bit dated.

“But now we have solved the problem and begun a new era,” he insisted.

If a head will roll at Maranello for Ferrari’s 2010 championship loss, it will be Chris Dyer’s, according to press speculation.

“Some things will change and, sure, some heads will roll,” said the authoritative Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The newspaper did not name Dyer – Ferrari’s chief track engineer – but some Spanish sources did, claiming it was the Australian’s decision to “cover” Mark Webber’s Abu Dhabi race strategy that stranded Fernando Alonso behind Vitaly Petrov.

“The only thing we can do is try to take a breath, recharge the batteries and push people to do a better job next year,” team boss Stefano Domenicali said.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda told the Austrian press on Monday: “There should be three days of morning, then they all eat spaghetti again and forget the defeat.”

Fernando Alonso said the reason for the championship loss was the pace of Red Bull’s car.

“They had the best car, and Vettel showed with his 10 pole positions that he was the fastest. And that’s not easy.

“It’s worse to lose the title when you have the best car, like we did at McLaren in 2007. This time it’s clear that Red Bull were better,” the Spaniard told El Pais newspaper.

The teams’ differing philosophies about driver equality could mould the outcome of the 2010 world championship.

Red Bull has now secured the constructors’ crown, but not echoing Ferrari’s Hockenheim tactics in Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix means Mark Webber is 8 points behind Fernando Alonso instead of just one.

However, the latest rumblings from Red Bull suggest that the team is prepared to play a tactical game in Abu Dhabi this weekend if it means either Webber or Sebastian Vettel can be champion.

The most likely move would be Vettel moving over for Australian Webber, because if the German wins again with Webber second in Abu Dhabi, Spaniard Alonso would stroll to the title.

But Alonso thinks Red Bull should be consistent.

“Red Bull has spent three months preaching about equality, so now they should continue with the same philosophy,” he is quoted on Sunday by the El Pais newspaper.

Germany’s Der Spiegel points out that this philosophy is indeed a gift to Alonso.

“He is benefitting from a policy of fair play that his own team abandoned months ago,” said the publication.

But at Ferrari, the key philosophy is a course that leads to the title.  German reports quote Chris Dyer, chief engineer at the Italian team, as calling the Vettel-Webber one-two at Interlagos a “big favour” to Ferrari.

“But I am sure they will not be so generous in Abu Dhabi,” added the Australian.

Those who believe only Red Bull’s front wing endplates are flexing appear to be wide of the mark.

Pressure from McLaren, Mercedes and perhaps other rivals of the Austrian owned team has resulted in new wing flexibility tests being devised by the FIA for the forthcoming Belgian grand prix.

Reports indicate that the new tests will involve the doubling of the testing load from 50kg to 100kg, amid suspicions Red Bull and Ferrari devised a way to have the endplates bend under disproportionately higher loads out on track.

But for Red Bull, there seems to be a much more complex story to emerge.

“It’s very clever,” said McLaren’s Jenson Button on Thursday, whilst preparing for the London Triathlon.

“We’ve just got to understand it — and as quickly as possible,” he is quoted by the Telegraph.

After Hockenheim, where Ferrari finally got on terms with Red Bull, the photographs of the bending wings started doing the rounds.

And before running the F10s a few days later, Ferrari chief engineer Chris Dyer said the team was set to consider “some different front wing options” in Hungary.

The rumours about Ferrari’s flexing wings subsequently quietened, as the focus on the RB6 intensified.

It is now being suggested in F1 circles that flexing endplates is only part of Red Bull’s story.

“It doesn’t just seem to be their wing that flexes,” Button had said in Hungary.

Indeed, further scrutiny of the flexi-wing photographs from Hockenheim and Hungary seem to show Red Bull’s entire front nose – not just the wing and its extremities – much closer to the ground than any of their rivals, including Ferrari.

How the team is achieving this is unknown, but the manner in which Sebastian Vettel’s prototype broke at the mounting at high speed on Hangar straight during third practice at Silverstone might be a clue.

Another theory is that the front of the floor of the car is flexing towards the ground on track, whilst the rear is lifting.

And it is believed the flexing of the rear floor in particular would have a radical effect in terms of the front wing height.

“I’ve heard rumours about all sorts of things going on, including flexible floors,” BBC radio commentator Anthony Davidson said in Hungary.

Red Bull’s dominance seemed apparent on Friday, as the controversy about flexible front wings looked set to continue.

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were a second clear of the next best runner, Robert Kubica’s Renault, in the morning practice session in Hungary.

Slow-motion replays captured by the sport’s broadcaster Formula One Management highlighted the extent to which the extremities of the RB6′s front wing bend towards the track.

The highest-placed Ferrari was Hockenheim winner Fernando Alonso, 1.8 seconds off the pace, amid suggestions the team has decided not to run its flexible wing at the Hungaroring.

“We will see what we will end up using,” said chief engineer Chris Dyer.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner told the BBC: “I’m sure the Ferraris will be quick around here — but I’m also sure the circuit will suit our car, and our drivers like driving here.”

According to the official weather forecaster, there is a chance of rain for the afternoon practice session.