F1 | Ecclestone has no doubts: “With Marchionne alive, Ferrari would be world champion”

In an interview given to the columns of 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', Bernie Ecclestone spoke about the debacle that Ferrari had in the final part of this 2018 world championship, underlining how the death of Sergio Marchionne played a key role in the duel between the Ferrari and the Mercedes.

According to 'Mr E', in fact, the figure of the former President gave respect and trust within the factory, especially after the excellent performances at the beginning of the year, aspects which unfortunately have disappeared with his death.

Here are the words of Bernie Ecclestone: “I thought Ferrari would make it, but unfortunately they got lost for no good reason. Marchionne was a man who commanded and received respect and his presence gave everyone more confidence, an aspect that rightly disappeared after his passing. I believe that Ferrari would have won the title with him still present."

On Sebastian Vettel he added: “Sebastian made some mistakes, but the same goes for the team too. The German was used to being loved at Red Bull. He talked to everyone and everyone talked to him. Unfortunately I believe that the same situation does not exist in Rosso and I believe this has defocused him. In this he is very different from Schumacher”.

On the direct comparison with Mercedes he concluded: “Hamilton was strong on some tracks, but balancing it all I think Ferrari had the better car.”