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Old 7 May 2012, 16:23 (Ref:3070723)   #12
Schummy
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Originally Posted by stripedcat View Post
Well, that is not entirely true. What about the semi-automatic gearbox in the 1989 Ferrari? Yes, I know that Lotus actually developed long before Ferrari, but still. I know as well, it did have a lot of problems in the car, but it is now de facto in F1.
I think it was a concept by Barnard in an semi out-of-Ferrari operation in a semi-Ferrari office in England. The Barnard-Prost operation was an avant la letre operation like Brawn-Schumacher. In 1990 it was very successful, but in 1991 Ferrari people got too nervous, I think.

There is an interesting thing about team positions in WTC. In the eleven season with Schumacher-Brawn, its positions were:

1st - 6 times
2nd - 4 times
3rd - 1 time
Average = 1.5, Median = 1

In the 15 non Schu-Brawn they were:

1st - 2 times
2nd - 2 times
3rd - 6 times
4th - 5 times
Average = 2.9, Median = 3

In short, Ferrari has been about the third team, except in Schumacher's troupe era, where they were first or second. It amounts to say that with Schuey they were (almost) always contenders, and without him they (almost) never were contenders (since 1986).

IMO, Ferrari's image is tinted and flattered by a romantic past and by a phenomenal success in Schumacher's times. They were a winning team sometimes in the past (basically Lauda), but never a consistent contender for the title along the years. More consistent were the Chapman's Lotus, McLaren and Williams. They were contenders with many drivers and designs, along the seasons.

What Ferrari has not been is a weak team (except some rare seasons). It is probably his main asset. And of course the huge personality of Enzo Ferrari is a heritage that others cannot have.
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