Hamilton, Leclerc and Vasseur at Monza - Photo: RacePictures

‘Ferrari need their own Newey or Stella’: F1 icon says

17:34, 08 Oct

Updated: 19:32, 08 Oct

bySamson Ero

Riccardo Patrese believes the lack of a technical mastermind is the root cause of the recent struggles at Scuderia Ferrari.

“The problem at Ferrari is that they are Ferrari.”

- Riccardo Patrese

The former Williams Racing driver, who spoke to a PR organisation on the woes of the Maranello-based outfit, highlighted how the team’s problem is entrenched in its storied history. Patrese also stressed the lack of a technical mastermind like Adrian Newey within the team.

“Ferrari are focusing on 2026 now. The problem at Ferrari is that they are Ferrari.’

“There is not one person there who was in the same position as Adrian Newey was at Red Bull or Andrea Stella is at McLaren. I have no name for a mastermind at Ferrari.”

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Photo - Race Pictures

Patrese on Ferrari 2026 expectations

The 71-year-old also touched on the expectations of the Ferrari team for the 2026 campaign. Patrese outlined his scepticism regarding the aerodynamics of the team’s 2026 car.

“Let’s hope that they have a clear idea about what’s going on next year, and they build a new power unit. But don’t forget the aerodynamics of the car.

"I don’t think this year’s problems are because of the engine. The engine is, I think, as good as the other engines. The problem is the aerodynamics of the car.”

The Italian continued: “With the new rules, they must study the new aerodynamic situation, and from this point of view, we know that the best guys are in other teams, for example, Adrian Newey is at Aston Martin.

lewis-hamilton-charles-leclerc-pits-singapore-gp-f1-jpg

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc leaving the pitlane during the Singapore Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

The Scuderia Ferrari outfit have largely endured a challenging 2025 campaign so far. Following the highs of Lewis Hamilton's victory at the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint, the Marenllo outfit have failed to record any race victory through the season so far.

Last time out at the Singapore Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc offered a brutal reflection, detailing that the team are firmly the fourth fastest currently and could go the remainder of the campaign with a victory.

GPblog paddock update

Check out our paddock update and never miss a scoop from the buzzing world of Formula 1. Follow and subscribe to our channels on YouTube and Spotify to keep up to date with the happenings in F1.

See our latest paddock update episode here 👇