Felipe Massa knows a thing or two about Ferrari and how the legendary team operates, the Brazilian spent eight seasons with the team in which time he worked under Jean Todt and Stefano Domenicali.
In the wake of yet another top man shake-up, the Brazilian believes that "calm guy" Mattia Binotto might just be the type of leader the Scuderia needs.
This forthcoming season is something of a watershed year for the great Italian team as they usher in their fourth team principal in five years, this time opting to promote their 'homegrown' technical chief - Binotto - to the 'hottest' management seat in sport.
Speaking to Motorsport Network, Massa said of the new team principal, "Binotto is a calm guy. He is a guy that has the capacity to work in a calmer way and maybe absorb less of this pressure that you have in Ferrari than Arrivabene."
"But it is a new moment for him. He was never a team principal before. We have to see how he will work because it is an important change. He became the boss but will be on the technical side as well. Speaking the truth, this can be good.
"I wish the best to him because I know him since I joined Ferrari," added Massa who was an 11-time Grand Prix winner with the Reds.
Nevertheless, the Brazilian, who quit F1 at the end of 2017 and now races in Formula E, is wary of the huge pressure that Ferrari are constantly under to win.
Massa continued, "A lot of things happen in a difficult way inside Ferrari in terms of pressure. They feel this a lot. The inside of the team was always like this."
"There was a time that they felt less because they had more results, in the time of Jean Todt. He was a guy who had great leadership in every area of the team. He could put an area working together with the other ones without any pressure."
"After this, things happened in a very different way. Ferrari now is always feeling the pressure and the obligation to win, and this is a problem."
For the forthcoming season Ferrari have retained four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel who will be joined by youngster Charles Leclerc - the team have groomed the 21-year-old and are banking on him to be their future star.
Massa, who joined Ferrari as a 25-year old, believes that ditching veteran Kimi Raikkonen and promoting Leclerc is a step positive step, "For me, what Ferrari is doing with Leclerc is very good. This kid can be a super champion in the future. And I hope and cheer that this can be in a near future."
https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/01/07/binottos-rise-and-rise-at-ferrari/
Latest News
Loading
