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[LewEngBridewell]

Source: BBC Sport

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemelo says the team's failure to challenge for the title will not cost Stefano Domenicali his job as team boss.

When asked by BBC Sport if Domencali would lead the team in 2012, Di Montezemelo said: "In one word, yes.

"Stefano has all my commitment. He has a big commitment to deliver and so he will be very busy."

Domenicali was quoted in the Italian media this week saying he was confident he was building a team that could again dominate F1 as they did when Michael Schumacher was their driver in the last decade.

The Italian marque have had mixed success under Domenicali, who succeeded current FIA president Jean Todt as team principal in 2008.

They lost the title at the final race of the season in 2008 and 2010 but won only one race in 2009, the same number of victories they have so far in 2011.

But Di Montezemolo said he was satisfied the team he had assembled can challenge for the championship in 2012 and beyond.

"When Todt left the company it was of course the end of one era," the Ferrari president said.

"We have opened a new era, new people and a new mentality. Even we discovered there was the necessity to improve some areas.

"I'm very happy that my team management is so confident and I look forward that he will deliver.

As revealed by BBC Sport, Ferrari tried last year to persuade Adrian Newey - Red Bull's championship-winning designer - to lead their technical department but Newey turned down the offer.

Di Montezemolo laughed off questions that he is considering a move into Italian politics after 20 years at the helm for Ferrari, saying he was "more committed than ever" to the Italian team and car company.

FERRARI UNDER DOMENICALI

2008: 2nd with Felipe Massa
2009: 6th with Kimi Raikkonen
2010: 2nd with Fernando Alonso
2011 so far: 3rd with Fernando Alonso

[andrew]

He's not a patch on Jean Todt!

[LewEngBridewell]

Mind you, Jean Todt didn't achieve success immediately with Ferrari. Although the recruitment of Schumacher was the building-block of a formidable relationship.

Maybe it'll be the same with Domenicali and Alonso?

Thing to also remember is there's no Ross Brawn now, and he did his part too.

[andrew]

Mind you, Jean Todt didn't achieve success immediately with Ferrari. Although the recruitment of Schumacher was the building-block of a formidable relationship.

Granted, however Ferrari were almost a joke when Jean Todt took over and he was very open with turning Ferrari into champions being a long task.

It's more Domenicali's attitude that I don't like whenever a competitor has an advantage that Ferrari didn't think of. His default position is to try and get it banned when they should be trying to better the other team and beat them on track, not in the FIAs office. We saw this with the DD in 2009 and with the EBD this year.

[vaptin]

Mind you, Jean Todt didn't achieve success immediately with Ferrari. Although the recruitment of Schumacher was the building-block of a formidable relationship.

Granted, however Ferrari were almost a joke when Jean Todt took over and he was very open with turning Ferrari into champions being a long task.

It's more Domenicali's attitude that I don't like whenever a competitor has an advantage that Ferrari didn't think of. His default position is to try and get it banned when they should be trying to better the other team and beat them on track, not in the FIAs office. We saw this with the DD in 2009 and with the EBD this year.

You mean the illegal engine overruns this year that he ended up agreeing with the rest of the teams to allow?

It doesn't sound very Todt like to not go for an advantage over a competitor either. If anything I'd say Domenicali is too much of a consensus man. I suspect Luca rules the roost anyway there and he likes it like that.

I think the main problem is the technical side though, Stefano seems good at the man-managing side of things, but maybe that's a hole that really opened with Brawn and Byne leaving and they hope to replace with Fry.

You can't buy experience though, so maybe I won't be too harsh in viewing situations like what happened last year in Abu Dhabi, probably wouldn't have happened under Todt, but Todt's more experienced that Stefano.

[Juliet P]

Who was it who said your boss gives you a vote of confidence you should start looking for another job?

[andrew]

No idea. Someone who's never had a job?

[bud]

Who was it who said your boss gives you a vote of confidence you should start looking for another job?

Nick Heidfeld?

[darwin dali]

Who was it who said your boss gives you a vote of confidence you should start looking for another job?

Nick Heidfeld?

A bit harsh

[Bye_Ya]

Ferrari need to replace Massa with a more competitive driver, simple as that. Alonso is doing fine considering that Red Bull's constructors are dominating everyone else. He's been on the podium quite a lot, but Massa really hasn't backed the team up as the 2nd driver. He was great in past years, but he's looking past it atm. Time to give some young blood a chance.

[Ichabod]

In Football, whenever an owner of a underperforming team comes out and says the managers jobs safe
it usually means that this guys sacked but we haven't found the replacement yet

[vaptin]

In Football, whenever an owner of a underperforming team comes out and says the managers jobs safe
it usually means that this guys sacked but we haven't found the replacement yet

Disagree, I normally interpret as the guys rubbish but we can't afford to pay him off.

[FerrariFan63]

Mind you, Jean Todt didn't achieve success immediately with Ferrari. Although the recruitment of Schumacher was the building-block of a formidable relationship.

Maybe it'll be the same with Domenicali and Alonso?

Precisely. Todt took quite some time to build the team into an unstoppable juggernaut. In recent years, Ferrari has mostly been there or thereabouts, and could easily emerge as the leading team after the normal ups and downs between seasons. It's not like Ferrari is a Williams, or even a Renault.

[LewEngBridewell]

Mind you, Jean Todt didn't achieve success immediately with Ferrari. Although the recruitment of Schumacher was the building-block of a formidable relationship.

Maybe it'll be the same with Domenicali and Alonso?

Precisely. Todt took quite some time to build the team into an unstoppable juggernaut. In recent years, Ferrari has mostly been there or thereabouts, and could easily emerge as the leading team after the normal ups and downs between seasons. It's not like Ferrari is a Williams, or even a Renault.

Ferrari will work their way to another title in time. Like McLaren, they'll always be there or thereabouts, and both teams will continue to get those titles every so often. Maybe Red Bull will join them in the realms of uninterrupted front-running participation (with the odd off-season/period thrown in every now and then, as all successful teams have somewhere down the line).......

[andrew]

Who was it who said your boss gives you a vote of confidence you should start looking for another job?

I've given this some thought and done some reserach and conclude that it was you that said in your post. Mystery solved.

In Football, whenever an owner of a underperforming team comes out and says the managers jobs safe it usually means that this guys sacked but we haven't found the replacement yet

Maybe Ferrari should take a leaf out of footballs book. Maranello won't tolerate anymore failure and conservative cars.