German driver Sebastian Vettel has backed Scuderia Ferrari’s reportedly endangered team boss Maurizio Arrivabene. After Sebastian Vettel’s title campaign collapsed amid a car reliability crisis, rumours emerged that team president Sergio Marchionne was eyeing technical boss Mattia Binotto in order to replace Maurizio Arrivabene. But Sergio Marchionne said at the 2017 United States Grand Prix: “We created continuity with the renewal of Kimi and Seb, and for now I don’t want to say anything else except that continuity is essential.”
Sebastian Vettel, meanwhile, is emphatic about the good job that Maurizio Arrivabene has been doing at the Maranello team: “In the past, Maurizio was often criticised.” – the German driver is quoted by Auto Bild – “But he does a good job and has become a real leader.” And when president Sergio Marchionne was asked specifically about whether Maurizio Arrivabene carries the can for Ferrari’s technical problems, he is quoted by Turun Sanomat: “No, no. Both Mattia and Maurizio were involved in the process. To assign guilt would be pretty idiotic. Technically as CEO I am also involved,” Sergio Marchionne is quoted by the Finnish newspaper.
Ferrari’s ultra-successful former technical boss Ross Brawn urged the Maranello outfit to buck the storm of its late-season title collapse: “The team is under unnecessary pressure,” Speed Week quotes the F1 sporting director as saying. “They should now be calm and focus on the end of the world championship.” And Sergio Marchionne agrees: “The important thing is that the problems are solved and that we win. It is never about one person. The three Asian races were the sum of unlucky events, and the likelihood of a recurrence is low. We have made one change to the organisation by bringing in an experienced expert to strengthen the quality side of things. This team knows how to win.” – the Ferrari president insisted, as reported by the Italian media earlier today.
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