Autosportfoto

I wouldn’t want Arrivabene’s job at Ferrari – Ecclestone

Bernie Ecclestone says Ferrari 'has gone back to being a very Italian team again' and feels its problems stem from management issues which Maurizio Arrivabene must find solutions for.

After a resurgence in 2015 with the arrival of Sebastian Vettel from Red Bull bringing three race wins, the Italian manufacturer's progress has stalled this season.

Ferrari has slipped behind Red Bull in the F1 pecking order and after a furious Vettel was demoted from a first rostrum finish since Monza to fifth place in Mexico, Ecclestone hopes for change in 2017 to see a competitive three-way battle for F1 supremacy.

Ecclestone's main criticism of Ferrari's latest faults is 'being run like an Italian team' and has compared it to the transformation of the team's fortunes 15 years ago when Jean Todt took over as team principal.

"All I hope is that Ferrari get their act together and start winning races," Ecclestone told Formula1.com. "What Maurizio [Arrivabene] desperately needs is a good back-up support like Mercedes have got, for example. If he had the support that Mercedes has, they would win races. I am also sure that you will see a different Ferrari next year.

"When I got Jean Todt to take his position and go to Maranello - which was a bit of a risk for Jean to do - it was an all-Italian team and they were a bit concerned about taking a foreigner. But I told them: when you win the championship you sure will find ancestry in Jean's family that comes from Sicily.

"Now it has gone back to being a very Italian team again. And it is run like an Italian team. So I don't envy Maurizio's job. I wouldn't want to do it."

Ecclestone also explained in an open and honest account on F1's latest situation that he feels Vettel's attempt to emulate Michael Schumacher may fall short as he believes the four-time F1 world champion hasn't been able to galvanise the team around him.

Ferrari is in a frustrating run of form during the second half of 2016, despite 12 top five results between Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen since the British Grand Prix, Vettel's third place at Monza remains its sole podium in the past 10 races. Raikkonen has failed to reach the rostrum since the Austrian Grand Prix in June. 

Zdroj: crash.net