Arrivabene downplays Bernie’s Ferrari comments

Maurizio Arrivabene has downplayed the comments Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone recently made about Ferrari's winless campaign.

Talking about the Scuderia’s current poor run, the 86-year-old told the official F1 website that it was “run like an Italian team”, hinting that passion around the team was hindering progress.

Ferrari has not won a championship in almost a decade, while it has also failed to build on the promises shown in 2015 when Sebastian Vettel took three race victories.

Arrivabene thinks Ecclestone's remarks were typical of the F1 CEO and too much should not be read into these.

“First of all, we all know Bernie,” the Ferrari team principal said. “The day after he said the opposite and he also came to me to explain himself without being requested to do so.

“In terms of the passion, I was always passionate about Ferrari, all my life, I have to say, even before doing this job and Ferrari is about passion, it’s about emotion.

“ When I’m at the factory and I cross the street to go in the GT department and I’m looking at new GT cars that are coming out from the factory, for me it’s a big emotion. And this is something that is not a handicap, it’s a dream.”

Ecclestone also said he would not want to have Arrivabene’s job and added that the Italian “desperately needs is a good back-up support like Mercedes have got”. Arrivabene, however, begs to differ.

“If I’m not wrong, it’s said that I need somebody nearby me to help. I don’t need it.

“I’m part of the Ferrari racing department and I have hundreds of people who are nearby me. We have a new technical group led by Mattia Binotto. They are enthusiasts, they are working very very well. So we have a team.”

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