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We’ve seen another year and another failure on the part of Ferrari to beat Mercedes. The 2018 Formula season just happens to be another addition to the stack of Ferrari's failures to gnaw at their superior rivals Mercedes in the fight to the world championship.
This season again, the Italian stable failed to clinch the Constructor's title, eventually won by Mercedes for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
And that's not the only loss.
With Hamilton bagging his fifth world title, all that Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was left with was eventually an 81-point deficit to the Mercedes ace.
Does that not tell a thing or two about the Scuderia's plight?
What's more?
With the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yet to be contested, who knows Vettel's gap to the frontrunner might just increase by several points.
This is unless the German plans to clinch the season-ender to ultimately cut short the gap to Hamilton, a gap that he's failed to eschew since 2015.
But if one were to truly understand how Ferrari's overall form has dipped in comparison to Mercedes, then one needs to have a look back at the 2017 Formula 1 season.
By the time the 20th race was contested, Vettel's gap to Hamilton was 46 points. This year, at this point in time, with 21 races held already, it points to a vapid, very dull-looking 81 points.
As individual drivers, Vettel's bagged only five race wins from the 20 held so far, his performing birthing 11 podiums to Hamilton's 16 podiums that include 10 race wins, twice as much as what Sebastian Vettel's managed.
In fact, Vettel's own form in comparison to the so-called 'second-rate' driver Kimi Raikkonen has plunged.
With Raikkonen bagging 12 podiums, the most after Lewis Hamilton, it's not hard to see why Raikkonen's emerged as inarguably, the more reliable marksman at Ferrari.
So where does this leave the team management? Raikkonen is already on his way out, counting the final few hours at the team that earned him his only world title.
Vettel, under fire for failing yet again to stop the Hamilton-assault, has an inexperienced even though, a talented partner for the next season, in Charles Leclerc, set to switch teams post the completion of 2018 season.
Having said that, it would be worthwhile to mention that Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene's performance at the Italian team beckons some regard, if not out and out appreciation.
With Ferrari sinking to their lowest ebb in 2014, where the historic racing outfit struggled on the track, arguably producing a modest car, with their driver's woes exacerbated by the huge deficit as seen in Raikkonen's 55 points to Alonso's 161, what was it that Marco Mattiacci was able to do?
If anyone were to point fingers at Arrivabene, a man who committedly stands behind his drivers and under whose command the team have been basically second only to the Silver Arrows on the track.
Then one wonders was Mr. Marco Mattiacci's in 2014 even worthy of being scrutinized?
On his part, Arrivabene, arguably the least complicated team principal at the Scuderia has constantly been probing for soft spots to go through.
He's non-controversial and focused. He may not possess the dynamism of a Christian Horner and may not wield the iron-fisted power in a fashion that Toto Wolff depicts.
But, as a leader, he rallies around his drivers and, wishes to align himself with the managerial energies at the Italian team to make things happen.
He's emotional, expressive and motivating. It was evident in the way he defended his team's position on Kimi, playing for the large part of 2017, the second-fiddle to Vettel and was gung-ho at the conclusion of the US Grand Prix where Raikkonen finally reached the top beating Verstappen and Hamilton to win at the Circuit of the Americas.
All that said, in their bid to resuscitate their fledgeling fortunes for 2019, a season where the Italian team would once again have a two-fold aim- to hold Hamilton off from sealing another world championship crown and to clinch the constructor's title, one hears some changes are in the pipeline.
It's been rather surprising that despite being the quicker car as seen in the demanding European circuits and at the desert emirates, the SF 70H hasn't quite been able to maul the Silver Arrows.
In that regard, Ferrari, it is rumoured are eyeing management changes for 2019.
It's believed that Rob Smedley, who still has a house in Modena, is most likely to head the car development at Ferrari.
There seems to be this internal confusion of sorts at the team that's hampering Vettel's performance, it is told.
What's also being planned as a cohesive step to further strengthen Ferrari's form for the next year is the prospective appointment of Jock Clear as the race engineer for young Frenchman, Charles Leclerc.
Finally, it's also highly possible that in order to fill a more senior role, Charlie Whiting's deputy race director, FIA, Mr. Laurent Mekies might be brought in to channelize Ferrari in the right direction.
For now, these are the reports that are doing rounds in the paddock. We will have to wait until official confirmations are upon us.
