Ecclestone: Ferrari 'too Italian' for title

Ferrari could be set to lose its team boss.

After Sochi, the Italian media largely agreed that the Maranello team's bid for the 2018 title is now definitely over.

"How Ferrari loses a world championship in three months," wrote La Repubblica. "One own goal after the next."

However, the Italian press also criticised Mercedes' use of team orders in Russia, but Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel defended Lewis Hamilton's team.

"What they did as a team made perfect sense," said the German.

"I know the media loves controversy and these sorts of questions and it's not what people want to see, but what they did certainly made sense," he added.

Also clear is that, despite recently having clearly the fastest car, Mercedes may now have moved back ahead with its latest developments.

"I hope it's a different story at the next race, but I think they've found something," said Kimi Raikkonen.

Bernie Ecclestone thinks the problem at Ferrari could be the total 'Italianisation' of the team that has not won a world championship since Raikkonen's in 2007.

Italian media reports say boss Maurizio Arrivabene might be moving on, having been named as a potential replacement for the departing manager at Juventus.

The great Italian football team is run by the Agnelli family, which has close links to Ferrari.

La Repubblica says Arrivabene is a frontrunner to become CEO. Mattia Binotto would be first in line to replace him at Ferrari.

When asked about Ferrari's flagging 2018 title bid, Ecclestone told France's Auto Hebdo: "It's too Italian a team now.

"I told someone the other day that it's like it was before."

When asked if Ecclestone was referring to the Schumacher-Todt era, Ecclestone clarified: "No, before that.

"We had Jean Todt who made them not that Italian and Michael was the real leader of the team," he explained. "I think that kind of organisation is missing now."

Ecclestone said Ferrari could learn a lot of lessons from its championship rival Mercedes.

"Ferrari works in a totally different way to Mercedes. They (Mercedes) have a team that is just racing, with nothing to do with the company," he said.

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