Stunned Mekies reveals former Ferrari CEO Camilleri's Covid fight
Stunned Mekies reveals former Ferrari CEO Camilleri's Covid fight
Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies has revealed the shock that hit the manufacturer following CEO Louis Camilleri's resignation ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Camilleri, who took over the post in 2018 to succeed Sergio Marchionne, resigned for personal reasons on Thursday night.
Mekies, in charge for the Scuderia at the track for this weekend's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the absence of team principal Mattia Binotto, gave further insight into the reasoning behind Camilleri's decision to step down.
"It was a surprise for all of us when we received the note from our chairman last night," he explained.
"We are aware that this is the way it goes for this kind of situation. I think I have seen what our chairman communicated in terms of the reasoning.
"It is understandable that Louis has apparently been hit very badly with Covid. Even though it was not life-threatening, it has been very tough.
"I am sure it is not the only reason, but certainly it is something where, in his own past and achievements, you think of your priorities differently."
Ferrari has endured a painful 2020 season, sitting sixth with just 131 points, yet Mekies paid tribute to the backing given to the Scuderia throughout the difficult spell.
"The level of support we got from Louis, from Pierro Ferrari to Mattia has been incredible in the last two years," he added. "Especially this year in a time of crisis. It is in crisis times you find out how these things go.
"The level of support was incredible, certainly [Camilleri was] one of the strong drivers of this level of support and we can only give our wishes for him and his future now."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton opens up on Wolff talks over Ferrari move as Verstappen SLAMS F1 decision - GPFans F1 Recap
- Today 00:27
F1 Sprint Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 23:27
Marko suggests 'exciting' move to REPLACE Ricciardo
- Yesterday 22:57
F1 Practice Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- Yesterday 22:27
2024 Sprint changes show F1 is listening to fix imperfect format
- Yesterday 21:57
F1 Chinese Grand Prix: Full track layout for Shanghai International Circuit
- Yesterday 21:27
Related news
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Hamilton WARNED by Ferrari chief over performance levels
Brundle issues WARNING to 'under pressure' Ferrari star
F1 pundit says SHOCK team have ‘broken the back’ of rivals
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