Alonso: We need to give Marco Mattiacci time

"Here to fight back"

By Franck Drui

17 April 2014 - 10:41
Alonso: We need to give Marco Mattiacci

Predictably enough, with Fernando Alonso on the panel for the first FIA press conference of the Chinese GP weekend, the hot topic for the Spanish driver was the aftermath of Stefano Domenicali’s decision to retire from his position at the head of Scuderia Ferrari and the appointment of Marco Mattiacci in his place.

“We need to give him time and let him settle down,” said Fernando about Mattiacci. “We need everyone to get behind him as fast as possible and try and make him as comfortable as possible from Day One, so that he can be successful in managing the team. I have not had a chance to talk to him yet and I look forward to welcoming him and I will try to help him in any way I can.”

The Spaniard also had words of praise for the outgoing Domenicali. “He was a great man first of all. As a team principal he did good things, even if there were missed opportunities, without which he could have had three championships in his pocket. I am happy with the time we spent together. It’s not easy to do what he did, when you have a privileged position with a Formula 1 team. But he did it for the best interests of Ferrari.”

As for the current situation, the Ferrari driver went straight to the point as usual. “We won’t improve by a second immediately, because Stefano didn’t produce the front or rear wing himself! We will keep trying to improve and we are here to fight back, but we need to be honest, there is a lot of room to improve. We need to be better in all areas and there is a long way to go. In this first part of the championship we have not been as competitive as the top teams, but I hope we can be very competitive later this season.”

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