JPMFerrari
8th December 2014, 18:27
Kimi Raikkonen believes new Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene is the "perfect" figure to lead Maranello back to success.
Arrivabene was appointed team principal at the end of the 2014 season after Marco Mattiacci's tenure at Ferrari lasted less than nine months. Arrivabene comes to the team from long-term Ferrari sponsor Philip Morris and knows both Maranello and the inner workings of Formula One well.
"I think Maurizio is great and perfect for the role he has been given," Raikkonen said. "I've known him from before and have seen how competent he is. I think he will bring to the team his experience and that will prove to be very beneficial."
Ferrari has not won a drivers' championship since Raikkonen took the title in 2007 and he believes it needs to rediscover the team spirit it used to have in its past.
"It's not been an easy year for me or the team. Ferrari is always expected to win races and fight at the front. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but for the next season we laid down the basis for Scuderia Ferrari to come back to the level it should be at. There's a lot of work to do but we know which areas we need to improve on. This job has already started and in the factory, we have everything we need, in terms of personnel and the means to make the necessary progress.
"All we need to do is work as a team, in the unified way that typified this team in past years. I'm sure the 2015 car will be much more competitive, although we will have to wait for the first test session to see where we really stand."
Raikkonen will be joined by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel next year, a change which the Finn believes will motivate him to push to the limit on track.
"As I've already said, Sebastian is a friend and I'm happy to be working with him. I think we can work well together as a team, pushing each other to the limit on track for the good of the Scuderia, as we aim to get it back to where it should be."
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/ferrari/motorsport/story/186911.html#CHu34tB50BViy6Hb.99
Arrivabene was appointed team principal at the end of the 2014 season after Marco Mattiacci's tenure at Ferrari lasted less than nine months. Arrivabene comes to the team from long-term Ferrari sponsor Philip Morris and knows both Maranello and the inner workings of Formula One well.
"I think Maurizio is great and perfect for the role he has been given," Raikkonen said. "I've known him from before and have seen how competent he is. I think he will bring to the team his experience and that will prove to be very beneficial."
Ferrari has not won a drivers' championship since Raikkonen took the title in 2007 and he believes it needs to rediscover the team spirit it used to have in its past.
"It's not been an easy year for me or the team. Ferrari is always expected to win races and fight at the front. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but for the next season we laid down the basis for Scuderia Ferrari to come back to the level it should be at. There's a lot of work to do but we know which areas we need to improve on. This job has already started and in the factory, we have everything we need, in terms of personnel and the means to make the necessary progress.
"All we need to do is work as a team, in the unified way that typified this team in past years. I'm sure the 2015 car will be much more competitive, although we will have to wait for the first test session to see where we really stand."
Raikkonen will be joined by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel next year, a change which the Finn believes will motivate him to push to the limit on track.
"As I've already said, Sebastian is a friend and I'm happy to be working with him. I think we can work well together as a team, pushing each other to the limit on track for the good of the Scuderia, as we aim to get it back to where it should be."
Source: http://en.espnf1.com/ferrari/motorsport/story/186911.html#CHu34tB50BViy6Hb.99