Formula 1 News: Ferrari ‘behind’ other teams in some areas – Arrivabene

(GMM) Former Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene (pictured) has broken his silence on the Scuderia’s current struggles, as speculation swirls about Charles Leclerc’s patience with the Maranello outfit.

Arrivabene, 68, spoke to the Tuttosport newspaper primarily about ongoing legal matters away from Formula 1 – but also weighed in on the state of his old team under current principal Frederic Vasseur.

“When you’ve worked inside the team, you know certain mechanisms, certain technical difficulties,” he explained.

“A supercar is made of 5,000 components, and you have four years to fine-tune it. A Formula 1 has 50,000 and you have six months. If you make a mistake, you carry it with you for almost the entire season, and it’s difficult to correct.

“Vasseur is a serious person and understands,” Arrivabene added. “I had an easy life because I spoke Italian and could grasp all the nuances, all the words and ideas of anyone.”

Arrivabene admitted Ferrari remains handicapped in areas beyond its traditional strength in engines.

“We’re a bit behind on composites and aerodynamics,” he revealed, “because we continue to make engines better than anyone else.

“The English in the Oxford area have developed that type of technology and are ahead of the curve. To close this gap in tradition, but also in expertise and universities very close to production, we have a lot of work to do.

“But we’re getting there. It takes patience, but Ferrari is on the right path. And that kind of progress could also be useful to the country – 30,000 people work in England. It’s not just about winning races, it’s about progressing industrially.”