Ferrari not amused by Mercedes success

“We’ve always said that they’ve been close but this weekend they were not close at all,” Mercedes winner and championship leader Nico Rosberg told reporters after his seventh win in succession on Sunday. 

“We were really far ahead this weekend and that’s been impressive to see.” 

Rosberg said the unique characteristics of the Sochi asphalt might have accounted for some of the advantage but Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was not looking for excuses. 

His post-race telephone conversation with hard-minded company president Sergio Marchionne was not going to give him any pleasure either. 

“For sure he is not going to be amused,” said the Italian. 

Even bad luck, with four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel taken out at the start when Red Bull’s Russian Daniil Kvyat twice drove into the back of him, could not hide the failings. 

Vettel was seventh on the grid, and next to Kvyat, only because of a penalty for an earlier gearbox failure and replacement. 

Kimi Raikkonen, who took Ferrari’s 700th grand prix podium, finished third but 31 seconds behind Rosberg who had already turned down his power unit and had no need to push. 

“On the Sochi circuit yes, I was surprised,” said Arrivabene. “Believe me, I don’t want this to happen again. I don’t think things can be explained as bad luck, there are mostly human mistakes behind the story,” he said.