Arrivabene 'very angry' at Ferrari's Suzuka mistake
Arrivabene 'very angry' at Ferrari's Suzuka mistake
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was left furious by the farcical strategy call that left Sebastian Vettel languishing ninth-fastest in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel is set to lose even more ground to Lewis Hamilton in the standings after the Mercedes man took pole at Suzuka.
Vettel could ill-afford any mistakes, bringing a 50-point deficit to Hamilton to Japan, but his last hopes of beating the Brit to a fifth world title may have gone up in smoke on Saturday.
After a rain shower had curtailed Q2, Ferrari fitted Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen with intermediate tyres – only for all eight other cars to opt for slicks.
While the red cars toured the track to pit for new rubber, Hamilton clocked one minute 27.760 seconds to top the timesheets, only for rain to then arrive and give Vettel and Raikkonen a shrinking window to set competitive times – errors at Spoon costing both and enraging Arrivabene.
"From the way things were done, I do not think that pole position was within our reach, but what happened today is unacceptable," he told Motorsport.com
Fan forum ?????????? #Seb5 #Kimi7 #JapaneseGP ????????? ! pic.twitter.com/JGZGcYIxqm — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 6, 2018
"I am very angry. It is not the first time that these mistakes have occurred. I do not feel like pointing my fingers at someone in particular, but I'm very disappointed.
"Unlike on other occasions, it was easy to understand what was happening on the track, as all our opponents left the pits with slicks.
"Sometimes it is more useful to take your eyes off computers and watch the track, using common sense.
"It is true that we are a young team, and we are probably missing an 'old hand', an experienced person capable of reading situations correctly and quickly."
Vettel will start the race eighth, having been elevated a place as a result of Esteban Ocon's grid penalty.
MORE: Verstappen pokes fun at Vettel's title hopes
MORE: Vettel won't start the Japanese GP ninth...
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton hit with SURPRISE Ferrari claim as new Cullen relationship blossoms - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Current F1 star qualifies for world championship race on two wheels
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
- Yesterday 21:57
‘Absolute b******s’ - Newey’s wife SLAMS Red Bull F1 claims
- Yesterday 20:57
Norris INJURED at party with legendary DJ
- Yesterday 19:57
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
- Yesterday 18:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860