London, England - Ferrari and McLaren, historically Formula One's two most successful teams, have had little to cheer about on the track of late.
And it could be some time before things get much better.
If there is less evident concern at Woking than in Maranello, that is because McLaren feels it now has the main pieces of the puzzle in place whereas Ferrari has plenty of uncertainty ahead.
“Watch this space,” McLaren Group head Ron Dennis, the former principal who regained control of the team from the ousted Martin Whitmarsh in January, said at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
“All the people who were joining or were going to join McLaren are now integrated...and we are now a much more dynamic and focused organisation,” Dennis told reporters.
“Don't expect it today, maybe not even during the course of this year but I can absolutely and categorically assure you we are back.”
McLaren, winners of eight Constructors' championships and 12 Drivers' titles, is second only to Ferrari in the number of Grands Prix won over the decades - 182 for the British team compared to 221 for the Italians.
Ferrari, the sport's most glamorous and oldest competitor, has won 16 Constructors' titles and 15 Drivers' - many of them coming during the 'dream team' era of seven-times champion Michael Schumacher.
But neither team has won a championship since 2008 when Ferrari was the winning constructor and Lewis Hamilton took the drivers' title for McLaren.
Wins have also grown scarce. Ferrari has not enjoyed a Grand Prix triumph since May 2013 year and no McLaren driver has stood on top of the podium since 2012.
HONDA HOPE
Both are successful sports-car makers, with Ferrari reporting record revenues in 2013 and McLaren Group this month announcing an £18.8 million (R333 million) pre-tax profit from increased revenues of £268 million (R4.75 billion).
But success on the racetrack is fundamental and, after four years of Red Bull domination, it is Mercedes which has won 10 of the 13 races so far this year and is on course to win both championships.
McLaren hopes 2015, and the start of a new partnership with Honda, will restore its fortunes. The Japanese manufacturer powered it to multiple titles in the late 1980s and early 1990s turbo era with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
Honda has already said it expects to win races next year and the mood at the team is improving.
Jenson Button, who hopes to drive on next year, said: “The last couple of races have been good in terms of atmosphere in the team, not just with Ron and the drivers but the rest of the management and the way the team is going.
“There’s more direction in terms of understanding and who’s in charge, it gives everyone in the team a little more confidence in the future.”
Ferrari, whose engine has been outperformed by Mercedes, must hope the rules will be relaxed to allow it to close the performance gap but it will still take time - and meanwhile rivals are working just as hard.
They too have made changes in personnel and procedures but Monza showed how far they have to go, with Fernando Alonso suffering his first mechanical retirement in 86 races and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen finishing ninth.
It was the first time since 2008 without a Ferrari driver for the tifosi to cheer on the home podium.
Ferrari also sank to fourth overall behind resurgent former champions Williams, whose years in the doldrums serve as a potent warning of the fate that can befall even the most dominant teams. McLaren is currently fifth.
Ferrari president Luca Di Montezemolo, one of Formula One's leading powerbrokers over the years, paid a brief visit to Monza on the Saturday and there were many watching the media circus around him who saw it also as a farewell.
BRING BACK BRAWN?
Much was made of Marchionne saying on Sunday that “nobody is indispensable”, the Fiat boss also declaring Ferrari's form 'unacceptable' and adding it was “absolutely non-negotiable” that it should be winning races.
That has always been the case, with Ferrari enjoying a special status in Formula One that gives it a bigger share of the revenues and more say in the way the championship is run.
Ferrari changed its team principal in April when Stefano Domenicali - who was close to Montezemolo - was replaced with the little known Marco Mattiacci.
The former president of Ferrari's North American operations was tasked with turning the team around and set about it vigorously, with engine head Luca Marmorini leaving soon after.
How long Mattiacci himself will stay remains an open question, however, with talk of the possible return of former technical head Ross Brawn - should the 59-year-old Briton be up for exchanging a quiet life for one in a pressure cooker.
“Ross Brawn is an iconic figure at Maranello,” Mattiacci said at Monza. “Everybody would like to have Ross or would like to see Ross back at Ferrari.
“At the moment I am the number one on the team,” he added.
“We are building a very strong team with a medium, long-term plan. My role is to shorten as much as I can this plan to make it effective as soon as possible. We are building the foundation for a very successful story.”
Formula One needs a strong Ferrari. But, as with McLaren, how soon that comes remains to be seen.
Reuters