Racing giant rips reports it got special help to stay competitive


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Bernie Ecclestone's claim that Mercedes and the FIA helped Ferrari are "unadulterated hogwash" according to Ferrari President Sergio Marchionne.

An Italian newspaper quoted Ecclestone as saying that Ferrari was assisted by Mercedes and it's because it's in the FIA's best interest to keep Ferrari competitive.

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"It is also certain that with the friendly situation between the two teams, the best thing for Stuttgart in 2017 was to make sure that a) Red Bull did not have the most powerful engines and b) that Ferrari was competitive enough to be a credible rival to beat," said Ecclestone.

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According to Motorsport.com, Marchionne responded to the comments, "I think it is what they call unadulterated hogwash."

"I think Bernie should be very thankful that Ferrari was at the table, and helped him turn the sport into as financially lucrative a position as it ultimately materialized for his personal use," Marchionne said.

The two racing giants each have two drivers in the top five of the F1 standings. With Lewis Hamilton in first and Valtteri Bottas in third for Mercedes, and Sebastian Vettel in second and Kimi Raikkonen in fifth for Ferrari. Mercedes has 11 wins on the season, while Ferrari only has four.

 

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