14/05/2016
NEWS STORY
As the much-anticipated Ferrari revival looks to have been another false dawn, the Italian media is doing what it has always done, demanding the heads of those in charge and whipping the Tifosi into a frenzy.
Sebastian Vettel is slowly beginning to understand Fernando Alonso's frustration, as the Italian team once again demonstrates that rather than taking the fight to its rivals it is better at fighting with itself.
Languishing 81 points behind Mercedes, and with its star driver fifth in the standings, there are already signs of turmoil within the team, with the media fanning the flames.
Whilst many believe Maurizio Arrivabene has been a calming influence on the team, others claim he is not the man to lead the Maranello outfit back to the top. In recent days it has been claimed that James Allison will be promoted to the role of team manager with James Key being recruited from Toro Rosso as technical boss.
Also adding to the pressure is Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne who is demanding wins, and like the media appears to believe that firing one or two people will resolve the issue as opposed to rooting out the fundamental flaw(s) in the team's DNA.
Amidst the speculation, drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen have leapt to Arrivabene's defence.
"He is reachable, accessible for the people," the German told reporters. "He spends a lot of time in the team, not just here but also in Maranello.
"I know there have been some rumours," he admitted, "but I am very, very happy he is with us and not with someone else."
"He is the best team boss I have ever had," added Raikkonen, in a rare display of emotion. "I think he is exactly the right guy for this job and he does a good job."
Referring to Marchionne's increasing pressure for results, Vettel said: "Of course he wants to help us where he can and of course he's upset or disappointed as much as we are when something happens that is out of your hands and we are not finishing the race.
"So I see more the positives, rather than the pressure. It's good to have him behind us, this makes me actually quite confident that bit by bit things are going the right way. But, of course, we set out the target to win this year. We haven't achieved that yet so you have a fair point if you want to criticise us."
When he was asked about the ongoing speculation, Arrivabene admitted he was well aware of the rumours.
"I've heard about James Key, I've heard about Aldo Costa," he told Sky Sports F1. "However, it surprises me that there is one name that hasn't been linked with the job."
Asked who that might be, he replied: "Tyrion Lannister".
The interviewer clearly unaware of the name, Arrivabene grinned and said: "Game of Thrones".
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