Maurizio Arrivabene believes Scuderia Ferrari should have had the opportunity to claim a double podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, only to have both drivers’ races compromised at the first turn on the opening lap.
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen had looked set to move into second and third at the start but an attack from Max Verstappen’s Red Bull caused all three drivers to collide, with Vettel spinning and Raikkonen suffering a puncture and broken wing in the incident that left them both at the back of the field.
Despite the disappointments, Ferrari team principal Arrivabene took some positives away from Belgium, with the car proving strong despite both drivers running with damage throughout the race.
“It’s such a pity,” said Arrivabene. “Today we probably had the pace for finishing the Grand Prix with both drivers on the podium. Unfortunately, the accident at the first corner ruined our race.
“The positives we can take is that, despite extensive damage, our car proved fast and resilient throughout. And this bodes well for our home Grand Prix next week at Monza.
“Also, the team behaved strongly and was united both on track and back at Maranello. So, starting from tomorrow, we’ll start preparing the Italian Grand Prix.”
