Ferrari boss ‘not satisfied’, but team remains on course

Editor

Ferrari head into the summer break sitting in third place in the Constructors’ Championship and without a win after 12 races.

It’s far cry from the Italian team’s glory days, but while all has not gone according to plan for the Scuderia, Ferrari CEO Sergio Marchionne has insisted that the team are heading in the right direction.

Rather than challenge Mercedes for dominance, Ferrari have seen themselves fighting off the challenge of the raging Red Bulls this term. A double points finish from the Austrian team last time out in Germany saw them move ahead of Ferrari in the Constructors’ race, leaving Marchionne and his men with plenty to ponder during the summer recess.

Ferrari were dealt a blow last month with the departure of technical guru James Allison, with Mattia Binotto promoted to replace the Briton.

Marchionne has insisted that the decision is the right one, but has asserted that Ferrari can only afford to head in one direction in the second half of the season.

“We took the decision to develop the cars in 2016 and 2017 with our internal expertise,” he has been quoted as saying by Tuttosport, “because we have phenomenal talent.

“For us it is important to utilize our know-how, and that is what we are doing.

“To say that we need a transfusion of technical intelligence is excessive.

“I’d be lying if I said that I was satisfied, though, so we hope that the second half will be better,” he added.

Despite the gloom surrounding Ferrari’s performance, Marchionne has given his backing to team boss Maurizio Arrivabene.