Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa: what it means to drive for Ferrari

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa are two of the best-known Ferrari drivers of all time. Although failing to win a WDC for the Scuderia in some of the toughest years for the Prancing Horse, they are regarded as two of the brightest stars in Maranello history. Both have now left the F1 paddock, challenging themselves in Formula E (Massa) and WEC among many other championships (Alonso). However, fate would have it that they both released two separate interviews on the challenges of driving for the guys in red at the same time. Let’s see what they had to say.

“It’s never easy when you’re under pressure”

In an exclusive interview for the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, Fernando Alonso was asked to comment on Sebastian Vettel’s performance this year and his difficulties in beating Hamilton’s Mercedes. In the past few months, many commentators argued that Alonso would have won at least another WDC for Ferrari had he had as competitive a car as Vettel. Fernando, however, knows all too well what Sebastian’s been through.

It’s way too easy to talk about this stuff from an outside perspective. Who is at the top of their game always fights for the win and always has everything to lose. And we all make mistakes. Maybe Sebastian has lost some valuable points this season, but so did Hamilton, and he still did better than Kimi Raikkonen. He fought until the very end, and he’s a true champion. When he won four WDC everybody praised him as a superstar and know they do the same with Hamilton. Truth is, it’s never easy when you’re under pressure as much as he is now.

“Ferrari’s obligation to win is a problem”

At the same time, Felipe Massa had another exclusive interview, this time for Autosport.com. In the piece, he highlighted the historical relevance of the Prancing Horse in motorsport and the burden that comes with it.

“A lot of things happen in a difficult way inside Ferrari in terms of pressure. They feel this a lot. The inside of the team was always like this. There was a time that they felt less because they had more results, in the time of Jean Todt. […] After this, things happened in a very different way. Ferrari now is always feeling the pressure and the obligation to win, and this is a problem.”

The future of Scuderia Ferrari

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa shared a quite controversial and at times tense relationship in the team. Felipe never settled as a #2 driver, and the never ending chase to Red Bull Racing in their years for Ferrari took a toll on everybody. However, they tend to agree when describing team dynamics and when speaking their minds on Ferrari’s future. Namely, they were both very positive when commenting Charles Leclerc and Mattia Binotto’s new roles in Maranello. They knew Binotto in his technical roles during their time as teammates, and they both believe he has the composure and the authority to run the team efficiently without falling victim to the pressure. They’ve also praised Maranello’s choice in nurturing Leclerc and giving him an early chance in the main team. That comes as no surprise, though, since they both aren’t very fond of Kimi Raikkonen…

Having said all that, Fernando and Felipe will always have a special place in the tifosi’s hearts, and we’re all very eager to see their certain success in the new endeavours they’re taking upon.

Mattia Binotto is set to be Scuderia Ferrari’s new Team Principal. What now?

Despite it being rumoured for a few months across Italian motorsport media, today’s speculation seems realer than ever before, being reported by all major news outlets. Maurizio Arrivabene is set to step down from his Team Principal role in Scuderia Ferrari, being replaced by Mattia Binotto, previously Chief Technical Officer.

Who is Mattia Binotto?

Binotto was born Lausanne, Switzerland and graduated in Mechanical Engineering and Motor Vehicle Engineering. He first joined the Scuderia Ferrari in 1995 as Test Engine Engineer. Throughout the years he fulfilled roles such as Race Engine Engineer, Head of Engine, KERS Operations and Chief Technical Officer. Such an impressive CV shows his high level of skill, long-standing involvement with the Prancing Horse and incredible achievements, considering he’s only 49 years old.

What happens now?

What follows is only speculation and is meant to be taken as my personal opinion on the matter. Many were the reports on the tense relationship between Arrivabene, Binotto and the Scuderia. Arrivabene came to Ferrari four years ago directly from Philip Morris sponsorship management, and not everybody was confident that he possesed the amount and type of skill required for his role in the team. His job in public relations was definitely great, and he did bring the Prancing Horse back to competitive levels, but the loss of 2018’s Championship has made him accountable for strategy and technical mistakes which, as many believe, could have been easily preventable. Of course it would be absolutely unfair to trace all Ferrari’s mishaps of 2018 back to Arrivabene, but as Team Principal he’s held resposible of what happens on and off track.

Furthermore, Mattia Binotto is considered the main mind behind the SF70H and SF71H, undoubtedly the most successful F1 cars put together in Maranello in the past few years. This has meant that his reputation with investors, engineers, drivers and executive board is extremely good. The Swiss could also count on the support of Sergio Marchionne himself, who had put his money on him as successor of Arrivabene in the future. Binotto had also received interesting offers from both Mercedes and Renault, presumably consequently asking for a better position within the team if he was to stay in Maranello.

However, being a great Chief Technical Officer does not necessarily make you a great Team Principal: will Binotto have the charisma and character to put forward those political stances that are so important within the F1 world? Will his departure from a technical role mean a setback in car development and competitiveness? Will Sebastian Vettel regain the mental stability needed to bring home the WDC, now that the new Team Principal notoriously has a soft spot for the young rival Charles Leclerc? All of these interesting and potentially dangerous questions will find an answer in the 2019 season, starting in a bit more than two months.

Finali Mondiali of the Ferrari Challenge – Here’s what you’ve missed

Last weekend, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza has hosted the Finali Mondiali (World Finals) of the Ferrari Challenge, an international monobrand competition consisting of North American, European and Asia-Pacific legs. ROSSO attended the event and is bringing you on a journey in Italian excellence.

The atmosphere

The Finali Mondiali are the single biggest Prancing Horse kermesse in the world, and a true full-immersion experience when held in Italy. Hosted by the Mugello circuit last year, the Challenge always sees an Italian stop for the European leg in Imola, a truly historic track. Monza, however, is in a league of its own. The Temple of Speed has always been the greatest representation of motorsport excellence, both in Formula 1 and in smaller categories. Tifosi from all over Italy and the rest of the world come in swarms in the small Italian town, celebrating the Italian excellence and racing pillar that Ferrari is. Fans have the chance of admiring classic, era-defining racing and road cars in the exhibition paddock and join the mechanics in the pits, enjoying an unprecedented insight on the Maranello spirit. Here you can find a selection of some of the great opportunities offered to the Ferrari fans in Monza.

Fierce competition

The Ferrari Challenge sees dozens of Ferrari 488 Challenge supercars fighting each other by the inch on track. The Finali were entered by no less than 37 of these V8 3.9 beauties, in their race-adapted setup: a different rear wing, 126-litre fuel tank and, of course, specific safety devices.

Exclusive video content and more – for your entertainment

ROSSO has covered the whole weekend life, with a firsthand, almost interactive approach. If you want to live the full experience through your own eyes, as if you were there, then check out my takeovers on my Instagram blog and over at ROSSO.

How Sebastian Vettel lost the title (and why we should stop blaming him)

Yesterday’s performance at the Mexican GP was one the best races of the season for Sebastian Vettel. The four time World Champion was wise in managing his position without causing any collisions during the first lap and was then a true master of overtaking, beating the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo fair and square, with the help of a finally well-structured Ferrari pit strategy.

All of this, however, was not enough to prevent Hamilton from snatching a well-deserved fifth World Title, equalling the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. The Brit showed a consistency and a pressure management which the German lacked, resulting in game-changing errors. However, Hamilton did not, at any moment, have to endure what Vettel endured from a psychological point of view. Today we’re taking a look at how Sebastian Vettel lost the title, and why he can’t be the only one to blame.

THE CAR

The 2018 seasons opened with high expectations for the Prancing Horse. After years of Mercedes domination in the Hybrid Era, where Maranello couldn’t even dream of having a car competitive enough to challenge the Silver Arrows, all data and results seemed to point out that the SF71H was finally a title contender, with elaborate, state-of-the-art Energy Recovery System and solid reliability. However, having a great car to start with has never been enough to win the Championship. The German team’s better resources allowed Mercedes to catch up on development, with many new aero and power solutions that closed the gap to the Italians. On both parties, many innovative updates were tried in the strive to acquire the title (Ferrari’s well-monitored ERS and Mercedes’s controversial drilled rims), with the FIA eventually deciding (as of today, at least) not to intervene.

This is not the place or time to jump on the bandwagon and defend the legality (or illegality) of Mercedes’s solutions, but a simple look at facts can speak volumes. Drilled rims and hub were first introduced in Belgium, with Mercedes immediately finding a terrific pace in Italy, Singapore, Russia and Japan, where the Silver Arrows were suddendly unmatched in speed and performance. After the controversy started surfacing (and with the title fight coming to an end), Mercedes decided to close the rims in Austin (where Hamilton has to go for a two-stop strategy, his tyres being butchered) and in Mexico, arguably the worst race for Mercedes this year, with Valtteri Bottas being lapped by race winner Max Verstappen. This update was declared “irrelevant” in terms of performance by the FIA, although its legality has been widely contested. I personally think that it’s no place for a reporter (even less, an amateur one such as myself) to decide whether or not an update of this sort should be allowed. One thing, however, is clear as water: this solution was definitely not irrelevant.

THE TEAM

The 2018 season was accompanied by many changes in Maranello: Kimi Raikkonen’s contract renewal had to be discussed, Maurizio Arrivabene was waiting for his contract to be renewed, too. On top of that, as we all know, on July 25 Sergio Marchionne found a sudden and unexpected death following complications from a surgery. The corporate and technical instability that ensued certainly did not contribute to the cause, as everybody was seeing their position within the team being challenged or discussed again. Maurizio Arrivabene was amidst some rumours seeing him leave the team, and Raikkonen’s departure to Sauber was anything but unanimous, seeing Arrivabene and new CEO Camilleri defending his reasons to stay with the team for another year, but John Elkann and the late Marchionne pushing for Leclerc’s arrival.

The corporate instability reverberated on track, with Ferrari being subject to some very questionable strategy mistakes (Spain, Russia). Strategy mistakes were made on Mercedes’s side (and big ones, for that) too, but they were inevitably overshadowed by a solid representation from the team, presenting an “all for one” attitude which is perfectly common in a consolidated team such as the Silver Arrows.

THE MIND

Hockenheim, Monza. If I had to pinpoint two of the defining moments of this title fight, that’s what I would choose. Germany broke Sebastian Vettel’s stability and Italy took the ultimate psychological toll on him. Sebastian, which is usually known for his composure and his ability to do well under pressure, has finally fallen to the Ferrari spell.

The problem with being a Ferrari driver is easy: everybody simply expects you to be a champion, to never make mistakes. Representing the most historical and important team in Formula 1, the team to which Formula 1 owes his success, can make you a god and can destroy you in a matter of days. Italian media, which I know very well being Italian myself, would be enough to completely break even the most collected of tempers alone. Add pressure from the tifosi, from corporate, from yourself to the mix and you get a recipe for disaster. Whatever mistake a Ferrari driver makes, it’s amplified and resonates through the motorsport world with a relevance that no other mistake gets.

Sebastian is at his fourth year in Ferrari and still hasn’t been able to capitalise, even with what was generally regarded (I disagree, as I’ve already pointed out) as the best car on the grid. I tend to justify his recent mistakes in Japan and in Austin, which were immediately bashed by the media and the tifosi alike. His risky attempts on Verstappen and Ricciardo were nothing but Sebastian giving it all, ready to fight by the millimetre. “If you no longer go for a gap that exist, you’re no longer a racing driver”.

Is all hope lost?

The Drivers’ Championship might be over, but the fight is still on for the Constructors’ Title. The Constructors’ Championship is especially important from a business point of view: end-of-season financial bonuses granted by FIA are distributed based on Constructors’ Standing, the Drivers’ title being irrelevant in this instance. Mercedes is currently 66 points ahead in the lead, with a best total of 86 points to be awarded in two races (25 + 18, 25 + 18). Mercedes’s current lack of performance might still help the Prancing Horse to bring home a trophy that’s been missing for 10 years. Only Interlagos and Abu Dhabi can give us answers.

US Grand Prix: Kimi Raikkonen gifts Ferrari well deserved win

Exactly eleven years ago, Kimi Raikkonen won his first Championship title and the last, to date, for Ferrari. Today, Kimi Raikkonen wins the US Grand Prix, nine years after his last win for the Prancing Horse and five years after his last win overall, at the age of 39.

An overall superb drive for the Iceman, taking the first place from Lewis Hamilton in Lap 1 and keeping it with an amazing defense strategy and excellent tyre management. Teammate Sebastian Vettel’s otherwise equally exciting drive has been unfortunately overshadowed by yet another mistake.

The starting grid

Lewis Hamilton starts from pole, followed by the two Finns, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel. The German driver had qualified with the second fastest time, but was demoted to P5 after failing to comply with speed limitations in red flag regime on Friday’s practice. Lap 1 immediately sets the mood for an action-packed race: Raikkonen cleanly overtakes Hamilton, while the back of the grid is sent into a frenzy by two accidents, respectively involving Leclerc and Grosjean (both retired in different times) and Alonso and Stroll (the latter gets a drive-through penalty after causing the Spaniard to retire). Sebastian Vettel puts up a great fight with Daniel Ricciardo for fourth place, but, as we’ve seen maybe too many times this year, his aggressive approach has him spinning and falling back to P14. Ricciardo will however retire at lap 10 for an electrical failure, one the many during this season. To retrieve the Aussie’s car, a Virtual Safety Car is deployed at lap 11: surprisingly, Hamilton pits for Soft tyres, setting his pace for a 2-stop strategy.

The pit carousel

Every top driver except for the Brit opts for a one-stop strategy, starting to come into the after lap 20: Valtteri Bottas loses a position after Verstappen successfully performs an undercut on him, while Vettel prolongs his stint on Supersoft tyres in order to progress through the ranks. The last 25 laps of today’s race are probably the most tense we’ve seen this year, with all the five top drivers (Raikkonen, Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Vettel) in extremely small intervals, and the top three actually been in their respective DRS zones. Despite that, Raikkonen keeps his cool and holds the young and hungry Verstappen back (which proved his talent once again, by nurturing Supersoft tyres until the chequered flag). Sebastian Vettel manages to get Bottas’s P4 just two laps before the end, keeping the championship fight open.

It all comes down to Mexico

Despite today’s race being incredibly important for the Prancing Horse’s morals, championship hopes are still extremely low. Lewis Hamilton still has a very solid 70 points lead (with 75 points available) and Mercedes is 66 points ahead in the Constructors’ Championship. At least for today, however, the guys in Maranello can celebrate with a new flag in their collection.

Kimi Räikkönen: the last Scuderia Ferrari champion

Today marks the 39th birthday of one of the most influential, talented and loved Formula 1 drivers of all time: Kimi Räikkönen. For the occasion, ROSSO relives the 2007 season, the last winning season for Ferrari, the first with Kimi holding the steering wheel.

The Iceman’s numbers

The Finn is universally considered as one of the best F1 drivers in the history of the sport, and statistics definitely confirm a successfull career. 290 Gran Prix entered (and counting, considering he will stay in the circus for the next two season), 20 race wins, 18 pole positions, 46 fastest laps, 100 podiums, for a grand total of 1761 points to his name. Despite nearing the end of his career, in a season where a good 3/4 of his competitors are at least 10 years younger than him, Kimi also set the record for the fastest lap in the history of F1, in Monza this year (a lap I was lucky enough to see in person). His professionalism, his undeniable talent and his dry-witted character make him a fan favourite, with a poll stating that Kimi is the second most-loved driver (after Michael Schumacher) among Ferrari’s tifosi.

The 2007 season

After five years in McLaren, in which Raikkonen got close to the World Title twice (2003, 2005), he was signed to Ferrari for a three-year term partnering Felipe Massa. The Fin immediately proved his worth in the historical team, snatching a grand chelem (pole position, fastest lap and race win) at the Australian Grand Prix, being the second Ferrari driver ever (after Nigel Mansell) to win in his first race. After two third places in the following races (Malaysia, Bahrain) and a string of bad luck for him and for Ferrari (Monaco, Canada and, partially, USA), Raikkonen was trailing Championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 26 points with ten races to go. In France, after a great move on Hamilton himself and later on teammate Massa, he gained his second race win of the season and the first Ferrari 1-2 on the podium for 2007, followed by another win at Silverstone. After a retirement in the European Grand Prix and a string of podium finishes (but no wins), Kimi took his fourth win at his most beloved track, Spa-Francorchamps. After another Raikkonen win in China, the circus arrived at Interlagos for the last race weekend with a three-way title fight between the Finn, Hamilton and Alonso, something that had not happened since 1986. An action-packed race saw the Iceman take his sixth win of the season and the title, only one point ahead of both Alonso and Hamilton, respectively ending the race in P3 and P7.

Despite having an up-and-down history with Ferrari, which will officially end when the 2018 season wraps up, Kimi Raikkonen is and will always be a fundamental part in the Prancing Horse history. Not only that: Kimi Raikkonen is and will always be one of the most influential personalities to ever join the F1 circus and the reason why so many people from my generation fell in love with this sport. When the day will come that Kimi no longer races, it will be a hard blow for many, many supporters.

Japanese GP: Ferrari’s disappointment as Hamilton gets closer to the title

A weekend full of mistakes brings discouragement in Maranello as Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel get further away from the title. The disastrous Saturday, which saw Vettel and Raikkonen qualifying in P6 and P4 respectively because of bad tyre strategy, is followed by a dull Sunday, with the Prancing Horse getting P5 (Kimi) and P6 (Seb) at the chequered flag.

Lights out

The start of the race seems pretty positive for the guys in Red, Kimi maintaining his position and Sebastian being able to easily overtake Romain Grosjean. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas immediately set a fantastic pace on a track which has always been very favourable to Mercedes in the hybrid era. The first few laps cause a bit of frenzy and various contacts and collisions, including Leclerc and Magnussen (the latter retiring), Verstappen and Raikkonen (the first getting a 5-second time penalty), Alonso and Stroll (both getting time penalties). The incident between Leclerc and Magnussen triggers the deployment of the Safety Car at lap 5, returning to the pits in lap 8. Just a lap later, the race changes completely.

The collision

Despite Max Verstappen (still ahead of Vettel) has already been awarded a time penalty, Sebastian decides to go all in and attack him: the Dutchman, defending the position, closes the space. The two cars collide and Vettel pays the highest toll, spinning (luckily, with no damage) and falling back to P19. From this moment on, the race is easy for Mercedes, being far ahead of everyone else on the grid even after pit stops (as expected, the top teams played it safe with a one-stop strategy, switching for mediums). Lewis Hamilton leads every single lap of the race, and only one final fastest lap from Vettel stops him from getting a poker of records in Suzuka. An honourable mention goes to Daniel Ricciardo, the master of overtaking, who finishes the race in P4 after starting P15.

The title fight

“It’s not over till it’s over”, they say. However, at this point in the championship, with four races to go and a 57-point difference between Hamilton and Vettel, things are looking extremely tricky for the Prancing Horse. Of course, the fight is still mathematically open: there are still 100 points to be distributed, but the Brit might actually close the game in Austin already, if Vettel fails to score points and he finishes sixth or higher. Grid penalties, accidents and DNFs are to be considered in the equation, but it appears that the tifosi might have to wait yet another year to cheer.

EXCLUSIVE – Callum Ilott: “F2 would be my plan for 2019”

Exactly a week ago Antonio Giovinazzi was finally confirmed as the new Sauber driver, partnering Kimi Raikkonen from the 2019 Formula One season onwards.

With this move Ferrari has confirmed his ability to provide every driver joining their junior program, Ferrari Driver Academy, serious career opportunities. That’s why ROSSOautomobili has started a series of interviews wih the brightest rising stars in Maranello, the young Academy members. After starting it out with Marcus Armstrong, we’ve had the chance of asking a few questions to Callum Ilott, 19-year-old GP3 talent currently racing with ART Grand Prix.

Callum, you have been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy for almost a year now. How would you sum up the experience so far? How would you say it helped your development as a driver?

“Being part of the FDA has been very positive for my development in a number of ways. First, it has given me structure and plan to my activities and preparation. That’s something I haven’t really benefitted from until this season. Now, most of my time is filled with activities from the FDA. That might be time on the simulator, physical training, Italian language lessons or one of the number of training camps we attend together. The support extends to race weekends too. Massimo Rivola, who leads the Academy, is at my events along with Marco Matassa, an FDA engineer to support me. It’s been useful in my rookie GP3 season to have another pair of eyes and ears there. The other aspect I’ve mentioned several times is the ‘family’ approach.

This was one of the things that initially attracted me to the FDA when the opportunity came up last year. All the FDA drivers work and train together and I’ve even got a few drivers living in the same apartment block as me, so there is the chance to socialise together. When you are a young driver, you can be isolated, living at home. At the FDA, there are guys around all the time. It’s different to other programmes but it seems to work.”

How would you describe your relationship with the fellow FDA drivers? Is it particularly influenced by competition or do you prefer a constructive, collective approach?

“Because we work on our development programmes together, it’s more of a collective approach. Of course, some of us are rivals on track and even driving for different teams in the same series, but the culture Massimo and his team have created means we can train and work together. It’s a good life lesson too.”

If given the chance, how do you think you would perform in F2? You’ve already raced with Trident last year in your home GP, are you still in contact with them for a possible transition or would you continue your path with ART?

My F2 was a real baptism of fire, with no preparation but I loved that car and the extra power! I literally did the deal on the Tuesday before the race and spent a couple of long nights reading the car manual. There wasn’t even time for a run on the simulator and I ended up doing the seat fit in the garage. Pace was good and I enjoyed the car, I think it suited me, having a bit more power. It was just a shame the rear wing element broke in qualifying as I think I could have actually been higher up the grid. I’d had no experience of DRS, pit stops and the Pirelli rubber.

The tyre management is such a big thing and I just needed a bit more experience to know when to push and when to conserve the tyres. It’s been a big learning from this season in GP3 so I’m confident I could do the job in F2 when I get there.

The nice thing from that weekend was that Trident’s team principal Giacomo [Ricci, ed.] was super impressed with my pace and approach. He’s an ex-racer so he knows what I achieved by just hopping in the car and doing what I did.

F2 would be my plan for 2019 but I’ve made no final decision on this. It’s been pretty interesting to see how everyone is getting on with the new car, hasn’t it?

Is there a driver on the current F1 grid whom you consider an inspiration and/or a role model?

“No, not really. I respect their achievements and I appreciate how much work and effort they have put in to reach there. Getting to F1 is inspirational in itself as it is so tough to reach but no, I don’t have a particular role model.”

Do you have any particular pre-race ritual you like to perform?

I don’t have any real rituals or superstitions around the car. Key for me is staying chilled. I’ll listen to some music in the back of the truck and then it’s a brief warm up before. I keep it low key, conserving energy for the race. Then it’s into the car, final check with the engineers and off to the grid. It’s all about the racing!”

We at ROSSOautomobili wish Callum the best for the final round of 2018 GP3 Serires in Abu Dhabi, thanking him for his precious insight.

BREAKING: Charles Leclerc replaces Kimi Raikkonen in Ferrari

After days, even months of speculation, the official announcement came today: Charles Leclerc will replace Kimi Raikkonen in Scuderia Ferrari starting from the 2019 season

The up-and-coming Ferrari Driver Academy protégé, winner of the 2017 F2 Championship and author of a surprising F1 rookie season for Sauber, was said to be destined for Raikkonen’s seat since his debut in Formula 1, it being only a matter of time. Despite Raikkonen’s brilliant season, collecting more podiums that teammate Sebastian Vettel, setting the fastest lap in F1 history and the record for oldest pole-sitter in Monza, the 38-year-old Finn will be let go after Abu Dhabi.

Kimi’s future in Sauber

However, this is not the last we will hear of the Finn: Raikkonen is set to join Alfa Romeo Sauber for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Finnish media and Mika Salo had already speculated on such an outcome, hinting that Kimi would be precious in fostering the development of the car, eventually stepping down and joining the team as a shareholder. The 2007 World Champion is therefore closing his career in the team where he first started.

The business talks

The decision might have been heavily influenced by Leclerc’s contractual obligations derived from his Ferrari Driver Academy membership: the Monegasque is tied to the Prancing Horse until 2019, the Scuderia deciding his future. If a valuable seat hadn’t been offered by that date, Leclerc would have been free to try his luck elsewhere, and Maranello clearly didn’t want to lose such a shining talent. Unofficial reports state that after trying to secure a place for him in Haas, but being met with the American team’s reluctancy, Ferrari’s only chance of keeping Charles was anticipating his transition in the main team to 2019. Furthermore, rumour has it that Sergio Marchionne had already signed a pre-deal with Leclerc for the 2019 season, and that the new board was wary of disattending one of Marchionne’s final decisions.

We wish both Kimi and Charles good luck in their future endeavours.

Things You Didn’t Know About Being A Monza Marshal

This picture was taken by Andrea himself last year. The prima variante is one of the best marshaling posts, right in the middle of the action.

Are you aware of the difference between extrication and decarceration? Do you want to know more about how to become a race marshal? Today I’ve met with Andrea, who covers the role at the Italian Grand Prix, to find out. Additionally, we went for a road trip with his stunning Ferrari F355 Berlinetta to Modena and Maranello, where the Ferrari magic happens.

Andrea, what does it take to become a race marshal?

“Here in Italy, you have to take a three-day course at your local Automobile Club, then you have to take a final test. Once passed, you are eligible to be called to any event taking place at the Autodromo and abroad too. We are all volunteers, but we do receive a small reimbursement which should cover travel and food expenses.”

Is it a particularly time-consuming job?

“During the year, I am usually called for ten events at the Autodromo. Of course, you give your availability at the start of the season, clearly indicating the days when you would be free to come. Once you are called, you have to attend a pre-race briefing (for the Italian GP, this happens on Tuesday) where the Race Direction discloses a full timetable of the event, not available to the general public and specific regulatory additions for the race. Usually, the Race Director goes through the previous year’s highlights, to indicate what’s been good and what can be improved.”

What is your responsibility as a race marshal?

“We have to take care of the drivers’ and of the audience’s well-being. Our priorities are clear: we have to safeguard our own lives, then the drivers’, then the audience’s. The car comes last. During the Italian GP there are 260 marshals divided in various marshalling sectors and posts, each one of them having a Head Marshal. To that, you have to add firefighters, medical personnel and extrication teams, making it 600 people around the track. If you are marshalling in the pit lane, during some competitions you are assigned one or two boxes: your job is to check if any infringement of the Sporting Regulations is undergoing. For obvious reasons, only expert marshals are assigned to this post.”

What do you do if an accident happens in your sector?

“The first thing we do is checking the driver’s health conditions. We are under no circumstances allowed to touch him or her: if they cannot come out of the car on their own, medical personnel and extrication or decarceration teams must be called. These last two teams intervene in different events, the first being involved in GPs and single-seater competitions, while the latter are called for GT competitions. As the name suggests, a decarceration team’s job is slightly different: if the rollbar is deformed in the accident or collision, it can literally form a cage around the driver. Their procedure is highly technical, that’s why marshal do not perform it.”

In the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, which we visited today, you can also admire an accurate reproduction of Ferrari's on-track technical direction. — In the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena, which we visited today, you can also admire an accurate reproduction of Ferrari’s on-track technical direction.

What about communication with the Race Direction as regards flags and Safety Cars?

“All communication is made between the Head Marshal and Race Direction. We are not allowed to use the black and white flag (warning a driver about unsportsmanlike behaviour) and the black flag (disqualification). We can use the red flag (session stopped) only if told so by the Race Direction.”

The Ferrari F355 Berlinetta

Thank you for your precious insight, Andrea. Tell me more about your stunning F355 Berlinetta.

“I have acquired this beauty four years ago: it took me a while to find exactly what I was looking for, since I wanted a stock model, without any kind of tuning or modification. The V8 engine this car carries is one of the best Ferrari has ever produced, and its sound is amazing. What I really like about Ferrari is that you are always a top-class cliente to them, whethere you’ve bought a 488 Pista or not. This car is a true pleasure to drive around, especially since I’m a former rally driver. I never take her to the Fiorano circuit, because I know I might get the temptation of joining the competition again!”