Former driver claims Ferrari F1 staff 'WORK IN FEAR' at Maranello

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Ferrari

Former driver claims Ferrari F1 staff 'WORK IN FEAR' at Maranello

Ferrari have bred a culture of 'fear' at Maranello, according to a former F1 driver

Jay Winter

Sunday 13 August 2023 06:57

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Former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer has claimed that Ferrari staff 'work in fear' and refuse to challenge authority in Maranello as they're afraid of losing their jobs, asserting that the intimidating culture has stifled dissent and innovation among the staff at Maranello.

Despite an initial spirited challenge against Red Bull for the 2022 season title, Ferrari's fortunes have taken a downturn, with the team currently occupying fourth place in the constructors' standings for the 2023 season.

The gap between them and championship leaders Red Bull stands at a significant 312 points.

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Surer revealed that Ferrari 'insiders', which include former staff, told him about their fearful culture.

“I'm telling you, all the people there work in fear," he revealed to Formel1.de. "They don't raise objections because they're afraid of losing their jobs."

Ferrari's mechanics and engineers have been under scrutiny after an array of self-inflicted errors in the 2022 season

Ferrari staff are 'being restrained'

Surer has claimed this has a knock-on effect for new staff that join the Italian ranks too.

"Engineers who are excited and enthusiastic, they're being restrained because they're afraid of losing their jobs," said the Swiss-German. "Engineers who are excited and enthusiastic, they're being restrained because they're afraid of losing their jobs.

“This mainly concerns the Italian staff. Of course, it's an honour to work at Ferrari, and one wouldn't want to jeopardise their job."

Although Ferrari may be struggling with keeping up with expectations from last season, Vasseur has asked for time in order to bring in the right people to fix the Prancing Horse.