Former Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley is in Sky Sports Podcast F1 addresses the fanaticism of fans of the Italian brand. In its heyday, Tifosi idolized the team, with lower results you ‘really spit on the road’, says the Englishman.

In the Netherlands we know the Orange Army as the strong bloc behind Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton can count on support in Great Britain. Still, the fan base supports the rider, not the team. In Italy, however, the Ferrari is sacred and therefore for many drivers it is a dream destination. However, Tifosi was ruthless with poor results and Smedley put enormous pressure on the Scuderia.

Ferrari is a religion in Italy

In an attempt to give team boss Frédéric Vasseur some advice about his rabid fan base, Smedley explained: “I think that [voor] all the senior people out there, especially those launched into the media, it’s a huge responsibility. There’s no doubt about it. I’ve said this myself in the past, you could describe Ferrari in Italy as a religion. Absolute. It’s a national team, and because of that you represent the nation, not just a brand. So it’s heavy, and you don’t need thick leather, you need rubber leather.”

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Don’t listen to feedback

Former engineer Felipe Massa on the team advises Vasseur not to listen too much to all the different opinions. “You’re put on a pedestal, and you’re considered the greatest invention since sliced ​​bread, and four, six weeks, two months later, people literally spit on you in the street. You know, when people tell you how great you are, it’s important to didn’t listen to him. The same goes for when people say how bad you are.” Still, Smedley had great faith in Vasseur: “He knows what it’s like. It’s a different intensity, a different pressure at Ferrari. But he has to deal with it and it’s part of his job.”