One of Ferrari’s key problems is a lack of imagination, according to a specialist Italian magazine.
The new 150 Italia car fell in line behind Red Bull and McLaren in the early races of 2011, and it threatens also to be outclassed by Mercedes and Renault.
The problem has been identified as aerodynamic in nature, with rumours suggesting development of the car will be moved to the Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne as a recalibration of the Maranello facility is undertaken.
But even before Ferrari’s current problems became clear, some commentators had observed that while the other top teams had obviously pushed the envelope for 2011, the Italian-made single seater appeared too conservative.
Autosprint said: "When was the last time another team took advantage of a Ferrari development? It was 2008, when the Ferrari had the hole in the nose.”
"Since then, no one has even tried to emulate Ferrari’s ideas," the analysis added.
Autosprint also said Ferrari has suffered ever since - due to the sport’s efforts to cut costs - it was no longer able to take advantage of its ownership of two private test tracks.