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Sebastian Vettel defends Arrivabene amid axe rumours

Published on 24 Oct 2017 09:52
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By: Rob Veenstra

Sebastian Vettel has backed Ferrari's reportedly endangered team boss Maurizio Arrivabene. After Vettel's title campaign collapsed amid a car reliability crisis, rumours emerged that team president Sergio Marchionne was eyeing technical boss Mattia Binotto to replace Arrivabene.

But Marchionne said in Austin: "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." Vettel, meanwhile, is emphatic about the good job Arrivabene is doing. "In the past, Maurizio was often criticised," the German is quoted by Auto Bild. "But he does a good job and has become a real leader."

And when president Marchionne was asked specifically about whether 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," 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."

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," he insisted. (GMM)

F1 News Sebastian Vettel Ferrari

Replies (4)

mbmwe36

Posts: 533
I'm torn here. I think Arrivabene has done an admirable job turning Ferrari around thus far. But I don't know if he'll ever be able to beat the Mercedes "machine" who seemingly have 5 contingency plans for everything.
They had a real shot this year, but Mercedes still managed to gain the upper hand. Of course there is the whole controversy over the oil usage, but still.
But the thing is, if you fire him, who do you replace him with?
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- Oct 24 2017 - 14:31
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  I dont really see a good replacement here. And I cannot put all of the blame on Arrivabene either. I just dont think he has done a bad enough job for that. Blaming Arrivabene for Ferrari's disappointing season finish is like blaming Rex Tillerson for the U.S current relations with the rest of the world. No, the way I see it, three things blew Ferrari's season: their lack of reliability compared to Mercedes, their misfortune during more recent races, and the FIA's decision to allow Mercedes both an upgrade and for them to continue to burn oil. I'd probably also say that Kimi has underperformed, but I dont think that was enough to ruin the season for them.
  + 0
  
  Oct 24 2017 - 15:02
- mbmwe36
  
  Posts: 533
  I pretty much agree. But at the end of the day, he's responsible for this division of Ferrari. I'd prefer Sergio Marchionne (sp?) to be replaced as he, from the outside looking in at least, have done a magnificent job of de-stabilising Ferrari on a regular basis with his comments. And his decisions which are seemingly made at a whim. As I understand it, he's considering retirement in the near future anyway. I think he needs to be gone before they can bounce back.
  It's amazing that the oil-burning decision by FIA didn't get more play in the media BTW.
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  Oct 24 2017 - 16:16
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  True, but he is just the boss, he is limited at what he can do. He can adjust resources to various facilities, true, and he can make decisions, sure, but mostly its better to let the people who know stuff do their thing. In terms of what control he has, I doubt he could've done anything to change this season. Now Marchionne, on the other hand... Fully agree with you. He really is a bit too dramatic. And the fact that he is considering moving resources to create an Alfa Romeo team, when Ferrari need said resources to challenge for the bloody title, is beyond me. No, he just needs to go.
  It has varied quite a bit, but I agree that more outrage would've been appreciated. Sky didnt seem to mind though, I suppose they'll swallow anything as long as its in Lewis' favour.
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  Oct 24 2017 - 20:06