19/02/2019
NEWS STORY
Having admitted that his first day in the SF90 would allow him to sleep well and that the team was feeling happy, Sebastian Vettel has admitted that in recent weeks and months Ferrari has rediscovered the 'F factor'... fun.
Other that having a car which, albeit at a very early and thereby pretty meaningless stage, but nonetheless is quick and reliable, the departure of former team boss, Maurizio Arrivabene, has seen the mood within the Maranello camp lighten.
"So far I think everybody's having a smile on their face," said the German, "they're focused and happy to come in to work and do their jobs.
"I hope that this year, we get to have a lot of fun," he grinned. "Fun means winning a lot of races and then ultimately you’re fighting for the championship. That’s obviously what we want, but at this point it’s very, very far away."
In the wake of last season, during which it was clear, at certain stages, that Ferrari had the best car, many felt there would be a major reshuffle at Maranello. However, the only significant change was Arrivabene's departure and the subsequent promotion of technical boss, Mattia Binotto.
Vettel believes that a major overhaul would likely have done more harm than good.
"The team is the same, obviously apart from the team principal," he said. "But the team and the foundation is the same.
"I don't think it needs rocket science from where we are, we have a team that is working, we've been able to produce a winning car the last couple of years," he continued. "I think it would be madness to change everybody and move too many things around. Certainly we've had our difficult moments, but now we all look forward."
Asked about Binotto's promotion, many feeling that the Italian should have been left where he was and not placed in what is largely a political role, Vettel admitted: "It's a big challenge for Mattia. From my side I will try to support him as much as I can, and I think he tries to support the team as much as he can.
"He's been around a long time, he knows everybody, so in this regard there's no news, but it's obviously news for him to be in that position and have that responsibility."
Check out our Tuesday gallery from the Barcelona test, here.