04/11/2016
NEWS STORY
Bernie Ecclestone admits that he wouldn't want Maurizio Arrivabene's job at Ferrari.
At a time seemingly every man and his dog is being mooted as a replacement for Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 supremo has admitted that there is one role that he wouldn't want... that of team principal at Ferrari.
In Mexico, a streak that has seen a pair of red overalls absent from the podium since Monza came to an end when Sebastian Vettel inherited third position following Max Verstappen's post-race penalty.
Subsequently, in what must be a new record for the sport, the German was himself penalised meaning that Daniel Ricciardo became the third person to be credited with the position in the space of a few hours.
With only the hope of the weather gods providing a freak result in Brazil, Ferrari is looking at not only failing to win a single race this season but finishing third in the constructor standings.
Unsurprisingly, the future of Maurizio Arrivabene's position is the subject of constant speculation, much like Ecclestone's.
"When I got Jean Todt to take his position and go to Maranello - which was a bit of a risk for Jean to do - it was an all-Italian team and they were a bit concerned about taking a foreigner," Ecclestone told the official website. "But I told them: when you win the championship you sure will find ancestry in Jean's family that comes from Sicily.
"Now it has gone back to being a very Italian team again," he continued, "and it is run like an Italian team. So I don't envy Maurizio's job. I wouldn't want to do it."
Of course, Jean Todt was part of a team, the others being Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne and finally Michael Schumacher. Ecclestone believes that Ferrari needs a similar team.
"What Maurizio desperately needs is a good back-up support like Mercedes have got, for example," said the Briton. "if he had the support that Mercedes has, they would win races - for sure. I am also sure that you will see a different Ferrari next year.
"All I hope is that Ferrari get their act together and start winning races," he added.