NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Vettel in danger if conflict worsens

Ralf Schumacher thinks Ferrari will be prioritising the team's driver issue in the coming weeks and months.

Ralf Schumacher thinks Ferrari will be prioritising the team's driver issue in the coming weeks and months.

Ferrari's chairman John Elkann has even weighed into the clash in Brazil between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, admitting he is "very angry" about it.

"It has made clear how important Ferrari is," La Repubblica quotes him as saying.

"It is not acceptable that - however good they may be - drivers do not remember that they are always Ferrari drivers and this must not happen.

"The only thing that matters is Ferrari winning and that it is a team game. And this aspect cannot be forgotten. Mattia Binotto was clear about this," Elkann added.

Schumacher, whose brother Michael was ultra-successful during his Ferrari career, thinks driver conflict is an extremely important problem for the Italian team.

"I believe there will be a difficult internal discussion, because Binotto slowly comes under pressure," he told Sky Deutschland.

"After all, Ferrari has other worries than its teammates constantly arguing. And they both have that responsibility. They are both old enough.

"I think it is serious enough that if it does not get better, if there are no clear commitments, then Ferrari might think about changing something," Schumacher added.

And if the situation further deteriorates, Schumacher thinks the main victim will be quadruple world champion Vettel.

"It will be very difficult for both of them but especially Sebastian," he said.

"If they cannot find a solution, it is clear that the future is with Charles."

(GMM)