Mercedes struggling to cope with losing – Ferrari boss
Champions Mercedes are struggling to cope with being outperformed and beaten on the track, according to Ferrari team
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s emotionally- charged Italian Grand Prix on his team’s home circuit, Arrivabene stoked up the rivalry and tensions between the two top teams.
His Ferrari team showed their comprehensive power and straightline speed advantage when Sebastian Vettel stormed to victory in last Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, beating defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes into a distant second place by 11 seconds.
“They are not used to this,” said Arrivabene. “We were silent. We took punches left and right and we got up...We are used to it and they are not.”
His comments came in reference to Hamilton’s suggestion that Ferrari’s cars had “tricky” parts to assist their performance-setting speed. The Briton explained that he was not suggesting that there was anything illegal or irregular being used by Ferrari.
“I read many articles that talk about our guys who work so well on the car, but then, in the team, I remind everyone that we are not ahead [in the championship], that we are chasing and so we must keep our heads down,” Arrivabene said.
He added that Ferrari was ready to cope with the pressure of expectation that comes with arriving at the Italian Grand Prix with momentum on their side.
“For us, it would be a dream and a gift to give to all of Italy, but the responsibility has always been there.
“This year, we have more pressure, because we won the last race, but this is racing - we are used to it...
“And we are still a young team so I don’t guarantee anything for the rest of the season. I just know that everyone wants this...”
- that is what you want as a driver. “It is not healthy to over-think.” Raikkonen said: “It is just the pressure we put on ourselves for what we want to achieve, but it is very close. In certain conditions and on certain circuits, for one team or the other, the differences are very small— and the results. “We can do our best only and then see what happens.”