Recent rumours designed to unsettle Ferrari - Arrivabene

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The rumours of Maurizio Arrivabene's demise were not only greatly exaggerated, they were also completely invented, according to the Ferrari boss.

Rumours surfaced late last week that Arrivabene's future with the Italian squad was in jeopardy and that current technical director James Allison was being considered to take over the top job at the Scuderia.

But before last Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne quickly dismissed the gossip, declaring that Arrivabene had his full support and confidence.

Although frustrated by the comments, the Italian team manager, who has been on duty for 18 months now, believes they were simply propagated by a third party with the aim of unsettling the Italian team.

"I'm not listening to all these rumors," said Arrivabene.

"The only objective of these rumours is to create tension inside the team, and this is not helping. We need to focus our talent on what we are doing without listening to all of this."

As he ridiculed the comments, Arrivabene even joked that the only one not mentioned as his potential successor was Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister.

"This rumour was also talking about somebody from Mercedes blah blah blah," he said.

"Who's taking advantage of this? No one. I said the other day that the only name they forgot to put into the list, because the list was full of names, was Tyrion Lannister.

"He's maybe the best candidate, but they forgot to put his name on."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.