Ferrari boss Arrivabene blames external factors for lack of performance

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has said that their poor performance was due to issues off the track.  

Ferrari started the 2018 season well. They were competitive with Mercedes and it looked set to be a competitive season. However, they faced a dip in performance which left them unable to compete at the top end. 

However, Ferrari's lack of competitiveness was not only down to issues on the track. When speaking to Italy’s La Gazzetta Dello Sport Arrivabene said, "In Bahrain, there was the incident involving our mechanic Cigarini, then the president Marchionne, the man who wanted me in Ferrari, passed away, leaving a big gap. On the eve of Austin [race], we lost one of the engineers."

“So many things outside our control happened which went beyond racing. It is my wish that luck will help us a little more in the coming season.”

Many Ferrari fans are wanting a change in the management structure and want Arrivabene out. It has been reported that this is unlikely to happen. 

Ferrari will hope that new driver Charles Leclerc will be a positive addition and that they can compete for a world title in the 2019 season.