- Ferrari
Ferrari: 'Vettel's big gamble is ours too'
Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne admits Sebastian Vettel has taken a "big gamble" by moving to Maranello next year, but has reassured the four-time champion the team is fully behind him.
Vettel officially leaves Red Bull at the end of this year, the team which funded his junior career, gave him his break in Formula One and delivered him to four world titles. He comes to Ferrari off the back of seven barren years without a drivers' championship for the Italian team, but Marchionne has praised his new driver's faith and desire to turn it around.
"I don't think he's naïve, he knows our level of performance but this is the power of Ferrari: it manages to attract people even just based on its potential," Marchionne said. "Our job for 2015 is to set this potential free. Vettel's big gamble is ours too, to reconstruct the team and to make it grow. The work we have undertaken alongside Maurizio is to give guarantees to this team, to bring about clear decisions and to have faith in the people who make up the team."
Vettel joins Ferrari following a purging of staff, including a second change of team principal in less than 12 months. The new boss, Maurizio Arrivabene, was keen to set the record straight with both drivers, reminding Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen they are employees after Fernando Alonso spent much of his five years at the team lobbying for more power within it.
"Vettel brings with him the experience of winning, he has his four world titles and the enthusiasm to work together," Arrivabene said. "He certainly wants to make the Scuderia grow alongside us. Having said that, even though drivers may be luxury employees they are still employees and they must work together with others.
"I think Sebastian is well equipped for the job that awaits him. He gets on very well with Kimi and this is a positive element, even if I hope that they won't get on quite so well on the track, because the rule must remain that your team-mate is your main opponent."
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