F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Angry Arrivabene says Ferrari Q3 mishap is 'unacceptable'

Sebastian Vettel refused to apportion blame on his team for the clear mishap that botched his running in Q3, but Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene wasn't as tolerant with his troops.

The German driver - who is 50 points adrift from rival Lewis Hamilton in the title fight - will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix from a lowly P8 while team mate Kimi Raikkonen will line up further up the grid in fourth place.

Both drivers - or rather the Ferrari pitwall - were caught out by track conditions at the start of Q3, the Scuderia electing to send Vettel and Raikkonen out on intermediates as it anticipated rain.

Vettel radioed back to signal that the circuit was dry enough for a run on supersoft tyres, forcing a swap that neither driver could take advantage of as they ran wide or hit the kerbs on their second runs.

An angry Arrivabene addressed the tyre swap issue after qualifying;

"From the way things were done, I do not think that pole position was within our reach, but what happened today is unacceptable," he told Autosport.

"I am very angry. It is not the first time that these mistakes have occurred.

"I do not feel like pointing my fingers at someone in particular, but I'm very disappointed."

The Scuderia boss believed that conditions at the outset of Q3 should not have been complicated to judge for the men sitting on the pitwall, suggesting his crew was perhaps missing an experienced member with better flair and guidance.

"Unlike on other occasions, it was easy to understand what was happening on the track, as all our opponents left the pits with slicks," he added.

"Sometimes it is more useful to take your eyes off computers and watch the track, using common sense.

"It is true that we are a young team, and we are probably missing an 'old hand', an experienced person capable of reading situations correctly and quickly."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

2 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

3 hours ago

Leclerc hails a season ‘without missed opportunities' in 2024

Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…

4 hours ago

Coulthard sounds alarm over FIA president’s rift with F1 drivers

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…

6 hours ago

The rapid rise and fall of Super Aguri in F1

Super Aguri's application to join Formula 1 became a reality on this day in 2005,…

7 hours ago

Ferrari's 2024 Season: Marked improvement and a fight to the finish

Ferrari roared back into contention in 2024 to deliver their strongest season in years, thanks…

8 hours ago