Rob Smedley worked for Ferrari for a number of years, including race engineer Felipe Massa. The British specialist confirmed that Scuderia’s senior staff have to work under intense pressure and that it is not always easy for them to resist criticism.
Rob Smedley «All senior employees of Ferrari, especially those who interact with the press, have a huge responsibility. There is no doubt about this. I’ve said this before and I can repeat it now: in Italy, Ferrari is treated like a religion. This is a national team, so you represent the whole country, not just a car brand.
It is difficult to work in such an environment. You don’t just need “thick skin”, you need “rubber skin” – that’s the reality. I remind myself – one day you can be put on a pedestal and in four, six weeks or two months people on the street will literally spit on you. To be honest, you just have to get through these things, keep calm and keep working day in and day out.
When people tell you how great you are it’s important not to listen to them, but it’s just as important not to listen to them when they tell you how bad you are – it happens. I think Frédéric Vasseur can handle it all. He is a good specialist, for a long time he held leading positions in ART, Renault and Alfa Romeo. The pressure is higher at Ferrari, but he has to accept it and accept that it’s just part of his job.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
