Marchionne 'impossible' to replace - Wolff

Toto Wolff says Sergio Marchionne is "impossible" to replace at Ferrari, but has backed Scuderia team principal Maurzio Arrivabene and chief technical officer Mattia Binotto to steer the team through a turbulent period following Marchionne's sudden death at the age of 66 this week.

Marchionne passed away on Wednesday following complications in surgery. According to reports in Italy he had been suffering from cancer.

He had only officially been replaced as Ferrari chief on Friday, Louis C Camilleri will take the reins of the Scuderia and has already been linked with retaining Kimi Raikkonen in next year's driver line-up, over Charles Leclerc, in a risk-averse move.

Wolff used Friday's press conference to add further tributes to Marchionne, hailing his impact on F1 and the wider automotive world.

"We are Mercedes and Ferrari are our great friends," Wolff said. "I want to use the opportunity to say that we are feeling with Ferrari and feeling with the family and friends of Sergio and we as well are badly shocked by the events.

"He was a friend and ally. A great rival and competitor and will be dearly missed.

"Sergio was a bigger personality than life, somebody that in the meetings and in the strategy group and in the negotiations with Formula 1 and FIA had the most powerful voice and these shoes are impossible to fill.

"With Ferrari, they have a management structure that remains unchanged.

"Maurizio [Arrivabene] was very much in charge for running the team and remains our sparring partner in the sport and Maurizio and Mattia [Binotto] and the group somehow are guaranteed that the Formula 1 team and the operations of the Formula 1 team is going to continue going forward like it has in the past.

"For negotiations with F1, Maurizio is also very much up to speed.

"He was part of most of the discussions, he represents Ferrari in the strategy group so I think it will give the new man coming in a lot of know-how and a lot of information and insofar I think he’s going to be able to catch up pretty quickly but obviously there was only one Sergio Marchionne.