Former F1 driver makes a stunning claim against Ferrari personnel in Maranello - "All the people there work in fear”

Former F1 driver Marc Surer mentioned that personnel at Ferrari's base in Maranello were working there in fear.

The Italian team has not been able to win a championship since the 2008 season when they last won the constructors' title. Over the last few years, there have been many changes at the helm of the Prancing Horses which has meant that the team has to frequently start their rebuilding process.

While speaking with Formel1.de, Surer claimed that the employees working in Maranello don't raise any objections because of their fearful culture. He said:

“I'm telling you, all the people there work in fear. They don't raise objections because they're afraid of losing their jobs. Engineers who are excited and enthusiastic, they're being restrained because they're afraid of losing their jobs. This mainly concerns the Italian staff. Of course, it's an honor to work at Ferrari, and one wouldn't want to jeopardize their job."

Ferrari driver speaks on the current status of the team on the grid

Carlos Sainz recently stated that the team is 'not where they want to be' despite having made some progress in the races in Canada and Spain.

Speaking with RacingNews365, the Ferrari driver said:

"According to the last two races McLaren, I think on average Mercedes, and if not us or Aston Martin. I think we are definitely not where we want to be. We had a couple of strong weekends, in Canada and Austria, where we looked to be in the right direction."

He continued:

"The last two have been a bit of a surprise, especially to see how Mercedes and McLaren have made a couple of big steps and putting themselves ahead of us. And now it's all over again, develop the car and try to get yourself back in front. When you are not as quick as you want to be, it's easier to make mistakes and be less consistent."

Ferrari is currently battling Mercedes, Aston Martin, and McLaren for P2 in the championship and are sitting in P4 just a couple of points behind Aston Martin. It will be fascinating to see how the team develops their car going forward in the season.

They will also want to keep an eye on the 2024 season in an effort to produce a much more competitive package.