Legendary Ferrari designer Mauro Forghieri believes Sebastian Vettel deserves more respect from his team, insisting Enzo Ferrari would have handled the German driver's exit from Maranello quite differently.
Vettel's final season with the Scuderia has turned into an uphill battle for the four-time world champion who is struggling to match the performances of teammate Charles Leclerc while also wrestling with his team recently on the back of indecisive strategy calls.
Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto claims that Ferrari remains supportive of its outgoing driver, and Vettel has also downplayed rumors of tensions building at Maranello in light of his poor results.
But the 33-year-old's demeanor and body language on race weekends suggest that the relationship is slowly but surely dissolving.
Enzo Ferrari ruled his team with the proverbial iron fist, and the relationship he enjoyed with his drivers was often described as complicated, and laced with an unsettling coldness.
Yet Forghieri believes that in different times, Vettel would have been treated quite differently by the House of Maranello's iconic founder.
"I don’t like to reference Enzo Ferrari, precisely because I really knew him and I know there are things attributed to him which he would never have done. He is a legend," Forghieri said, speaking to famed Ferrari blogger Leo Turrini.
"But I’m sure the 'il Drake' would have handled Seb’s farewell quite differently, he would have treated him with much more respect."
Like everyone, Forghieri has been impressed by Leclerc, yet the 85-year-old engineer believes Ferrari has been put too much weight too soon on the Monegasque's shoulders.
"The boy has a lot of talent," said the Italian. "But Ferrari shouldn't have burdened him with so many responsibilities so soon, we're talking about a young man who hasn't even raced in 50 Grands Prix."
As for the Scuderia's current travails and tribulations, the man who guided the great Niki Lauda to his first world title suggests team boss Binotto needs to further strengthen the Italian outfit's technical structure.
"Binotto plays a very delicate role," Forghieri explained. "I'm speaking from experience!
"Being the head of the racing department is really difficult, the pressure is enormous, Ferrari never forgives anything.
"Binotto must surround himself with the right people. I'm not suggesting a revolution, they don't help. But putting new people at home, with the skills that are now evidently lacking, yes.
"Winning with Ferrari must once again be a source of pride for those who deal with Grand Prix cars."
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