Ferrari bloodbath continues as Laurent Mekies looks set to join the long list of casualties leaving the Italian squad: Report

Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies is reportedly set to leave the Maranello-based team. The Frenchman will reportedly join AlphaTauri, the former Minardi outfit where Mekies spent a significant chunk of his career.

Mekies is part of an ever-growing list of personnel leaving the Scuderia, with aerodynamicist David Sanchez leading the pack this year. Most notably, however, Ferrari parted ways with Mattia Binotto at the end of the 2022 season after the Italian was unable to lead the iconic team to success.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that the decision to appoint Fred Vasseur as team principal instead of Laurent Mekies is perhaps one of the main reasons behind the Frenchman's departure from Ferrari.

Furthermore, with AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost having claimed that he wants to leave the sport in the next three or so years, a gig with the Italy-based team could be Mekies' final shot at finally becoming team principal.

Mekies might move to AlphaTauri sometime this year if an agreement is reached between him and the junior Red Bull team. Otherwise, he will most likely wait it out till 2024 and make the switch then.

With key personnel choosing to leave the Scuderia, it remains to be seen if they can compete with runaway leaders Red Bull in the times to come.

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Ferrari reportedly frustrated with Carlos Sainz

According to El Nacional, Ferrari has reportedly become increasingly dissatisfied with Carlos Sainz's performance in 2023. The Spanish newspaper claims that the Scuderia is growing frustrated with the Spaniard's subpar results so far this season.

The Italian outfit had high hopes entering this year's competition, believing that their SF-23 had what it takes to compete with Red Bull for the championship. Unfortunately, the team has been disappointed by the car's lack of downforce and tire wear, issues similar to those of its predecessor.

As a result, both Carlos Sainz and his teammate Charles Leclerc have fallen behind not only Red Bull but also Aston Martin and Mercedes. El Nacional reports that the team is off to its worst start to a season since 2009.

However, the media outlet claims the team is partly blaming Sainz for their downfall. The report stated:

“To this, we must add that Ferrari are starting to get tired of Carlos Sainz. The Spanish driver is not performing in the team as expected and they are getting fed up with the excuses from Madrid. The truth is that, for some time now, at Ferrari they are beginning to be upset with Sainz. He has not performed as expected. He has disappointed. They thought he would be a star driver and he is not showing it."

With key personnel leaving the Scuderia, along with subpar results for the drivers, it will take a miracle for the Maranello-based outfit to claw their way back to the top.