Mattia Binotto’s message on Italian Republic Day: “We hope to make the fans forget the hard times”. Mattia Binotto's message on Italian Republic Day.

Today is Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day in Italy) and Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto wrote a message on Gazzetta dello Sport:

“Ferrari Italian pride.
It’s been a painful few months for many, but at the Austrian GP we hope to make the fans forget the hard times. It was by no means easy to tackle certain crucial issues for the future in the short and medium term, but Ferrari acted with a strong sense of responsibility both towards its staff and F1, putting collective interest before that of a single party. During the lockdown, the Internet allowed us to continue to stay connected with our colleagues and to continue to work at a particularly delicate time, as important decisions were made not only for our team but for our whole sport.”

“For a few weeks now, business has resumed in Maranello and although many people still work from home, it is really nice to be able to meet up with some of them, waiting to be able to see them all again. If there is one thing I have missed more than anything else, it has been the chance to talk to my colleagues in person at the office, at the test benches and in the workshops and not just through a computer screen. I’m thinking of the “Back on track” screening programme for all employees and their families or projects like the FI5 pulmonary ventilator: signs of how #beingFerrari is not a slogan but a sign of belonging to a second family.”

“Today we celebrate the 74th anniversary of our Republic and I want to remember the support that Ferrari has given us and continues to give us every day in this emergency situation, not only in terms of salary but also of protecting our health. Today is Republic Day and we, like Ferrari, feel the pride of being Italian and representing our country in the world: we really hope to be able to give all our fellow countrymen some good satisfaction and to make them quickly forget these difficult months! In a little over a month, we will finally be back on track, the start of a special season. It will be very strange not seeing our fans in the stands and it will be a great emotion for us to go back to doing what we love, making our engines roar and heard from afar.”