Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne has warned Sebastian Vettel he must drive with more composure and calmness to remain with the team beyond 2017.
The statement comes after a frustrating 2016 campaign for the Maranello outfit, that saw them fail to register a victory across the season for the second time in three years.
Lead driver Sebastian Vettel was subject to controversy over the year, the German’s radio rants, in particular in Mexico, marred a disappointing campaign.
Team principal Maurizio Arrivabene said Vettel had to ‘earn his place’ in the team to secure his future, the four-time champions contract is set to run out at the end of next season.
“As for our racing drivers, it’s work in progress,” said Marchionne quoted by Repubblica.
“I admit we are looking around us for the future, by carefully analysing the others’ situations. That doesn’t mean we don’t have confidence in our drivers, but it’s fair to say they are under scrutiny.
“I’m happy with Raikkonen’s season – he will race again in 2017, but what about after that? Does he want to retire or carry on?
“With Vettel it doesn’t make sense to talk about renewal now, we must first understand if he feels comfortable with us in 2017.”
The 63-year-old added: “We must give him a winning car, otherwise talking about the future is useless.
“He wants to win with us, we know that. Can we guarantee that for him? In exchange, he must drive with composure, be more calm, less agitated.
“He must think about winning on the track and beat the other cars, not about getting into personal feuds.”
Ferrari recently appointed GP2 runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi as their third driver for next year; the Italian could be seen as a future replacement should Vettel or Raikkonen partway with the Italian squad.
http://readmotorsport.com/2016/12/20...itated-vettel/
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