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Selfie assessment - Sebastian Vettel takes a tour of the Ferrari factory

Published by Christine

Sebastian Vettel takes a tour of the Ferrari factory
Ferrari S.p.A.

Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene summoned new recruit Sebastian Vettel to the Maranello factory today to tour the premises and meet the staff who will be helping him compete in 2015. Vettel has moved to the Italian team from Red Bull, looking for a new challenge after winning four championships with his previous outfit.

A challenge it will be, as Ferrari are desperately trying to recover one of their worst seasons in Formula One. As well as the driver change, there have been some big personnel movements in the factory and race teams, including Arrivabene himself. The team are hoping to turn the tide and start clawing back some momentum, but Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne admits they're off to a slow start.

"We're starting the season a bit late because the design of the new car was started late. But we don't have to freeze the engine by the first race, so it will be a very interesting season. I think the car will get better as we go through the year."

Marchionne also explained why such sweeping changes were needed within the team: "The road car side is doing tremendously well, but at the heart of the success of Ferrari is what it does on the Formula One track. And if it doesn't get that right, if it doesn't fight properly, then I think it will ultimately impact on brand - so we had to intervene."