Maurizio Arrivabene says Ferrari still catching rivals in key areas

Former Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene has spoken out on the Scuderia's present difficulties, amid ongoing rumours that Charles Leclerc is growing impatient with the team.

The 68-year-old gave an interview to Tuttosport mainly regarding legal issues outside Formula 1, but also offered his perspective on Ferrari under current principal Frederic Vasseur. "When you've worked inside the team, you know certain mechanisms, certain technical difficulties," he explained.

"A supercar is made of 5,000 components and you have four years to fine-tune it. A Formula 1 has 50,000 and you have six months. If you make a mistake, you carry it with you for almost the entire season and it's difficult to correct.

"Vasseur is a serious person and understands," Arrivabene added. "I had an easy life because I spoke Italian and could grasp all the nuances, all the words and ideas of anyone."

Arrivabene conceded that while Ferrari continues to lead with its engine program, it lags behind in other technical areas.

"We're a bit behind on composites and aerodynamics," he revealed, "because we continue to make engines better than anyone else.

"The English in the Oxford area have developed that type of technology and are ahead of the curve. To close this gap in tradition, but also in expertise and universities very close to production, we have a lot of work to do.

"But we're getting there. It takes patience, but Ferrari is on the right path. And that kind of progress could also be useful to the country - 30,000 people work in England. It's not just about winning races, it's about progressing industrially."