Former Ferrari driver warns hiring Adrian Newey alone is not answer to team's problems

Former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi has said that hiring legendary engineer Adrian Newey from Red Bull won't solve the Italian team's problems.

The Prancing Horses are languishing in fourth place in the constructors' championship, trailing Red Bull, Aston Martin and Mercedes. There were a lot of expectations from Ferrari, as they were coming off a relatively successful 2022 season.

On Les Fous du Volant, a Eurosport podcast, Alesi said:

"It will take time, but Fred Vasseur is the right choice. Today, if Adrian Newey decided to go to Ferrari, we wouldn't see his car until 2025 because of the clauses of all the contracts. So, it will take time. But I repeat that Fred Vasseur is the right person for this job."

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"We acknowledge FIA decision not to grant us right of review in relation to penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz" - Ferrari

The Italian team accepted the FIA's decision not to overturn Carlos Sainz's penalty at the 2023 Australian GP, as the evidence submitted by the team was deemed not sufficient.

As per F1.com, Ferrari said:

"We acknowledge the FIA decision not to grant us a right of review in relation to the penalty imposed on Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. We are naturally disappointed and felt that we had provided sufficient significant new elements for the FIA to re-examine the decision, especially in the context of the particular conditions and multiple incidents that occurred during the final restart.

"We are, however, respectful of the process and of the FIA decision. We are now looking forward to entering broader discussions with the FIA, F1, and all the teams, with the aim of further improving the policing of our sport, in order to ensure the highest level of fairness and consistency that our sport deserves."

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz added that he was not happy with the decision:

"Very disappointed that the FIA did not grant us a right to review. Two weeks later, I still think the penalty is too disproportionate, and I believe it should have at least been reviewed on the basis of the evidence and reasoning we have presented.

"We have to continue working together to improve certain things for the future. The consistency and decision-making process has been a hot topic for many seasons now, and we need to be clearer for the sake of our sport. What happened in Australia is now in the past, and I am 100% focused on the next race in Baku."

It will be interesting to see if the team can bounce back into reckoning at the next race at the Azerbaijan GP.