Marchionne passing has affected Ferrari

Liberty Media boss and former Ferrari chief Ross Brawn believes that the passing of CEO Sergio Marchionne in July has affected the Scuderia's performance in the 2018 Formula 1 season, saying their car and drivers should be good enough to compete with Mercedes.

Following a short illness after surgery, Marchionne passed away in the summer, with Ferrari sent into mourning for their popular boss. His death has coincided with a drop in form for the team, and Brawn reckons the two factors are not unrelated.

“It’s obvious from even a brief analysis of the way the car behaves that Ferrari has a very strong technical package, thanks to the efforts of the past few years which has seen the team close a technical gap to Mercedes,” Brawn said following the Japanese Grand Prix.

“Having experienced many crises myself during my time with Ferrari, what I know is that this is the time to come together, stay united and look ahead, without resorting to recrimination and playing the blame game.”

Sebastian Vettel is 67 points behind Lewis Hamilton in the drivers' championship, while Ferrari trail Mercedes by 78 points in the constructors' rankings with four races remaining.

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