Mattia Binotto was the great announcement made by Ferrari at the beginning of the year, but it would not be the only one. John Elkann and his entourage in fact want to give the Italian-Swiss technician all the means necessary to bring the Scuderia back in the position to fight for the world title and as a results, the president of the Maranello team did not just change the leader, but also some important figures within the team.
The first person who had to leave Ferrari was Alberto Antonini. The Scuderia’s latest press officer had a contract which was available only until the end of the 2018 season, but the management decided not to renew it. At the moment we do not know the real replacement of Antonini, but according to the latest rumors it may be Bernd Fisa (after Luca Colajanni rejected the offer). This would not be a new figure for Ferrari, as Bernd Fisa worked alongside the staff of the Ferrari press office in 2000 and 2001.
The management of Maranello, however, has renewed almost all the part dedicated to communication, bringing to Maranello a press officer of great experience. Silvia Hoffer is coming from McLaren in order to replace Stefania Bocchi (wife of Maurizio Arrivabene and press officer of Kimi Raikkonen). These changes in the field of the mass media, which at the same time lead to the departure of important figures of the Arrivabene era, show that at Ferrari there is a willingness to start a new phase with Mattia Binotto as leader.
This is also confirmed by some other interesting news from the Italian side. Ferrari will be working with mental coaches starting with the 2019 Formula One season, which means that the Maranello team’s two drivers will be assisted by figures who will help them in the various stages of the championship. Charles Leclerc’s coach will be Jock Clear, while Sebastian Vettel will have a mentor who will arrive directly from a competing team, Red Bull. These figures will be introduced in Maranello from this season in order to help the two drivers from the mental point of view. Although in the past Sebastian Vettel said that he sees no reason to hire a sports psychologist, this move aims to bring more balance to the four-time Formula One world champion and his prospects of challenging Lewis Hamilton in 2019. The same applies to Charles Leclerc, who will have to sustain the pressure of his first season alongside the Maranello team.
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