Arrivabene denies Binotto dispute ’fake news’

Maurizio Arrivabene has slammed suggestions he is locked in a bitter power dispute with fellow Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.

The conflict has been cited by some in the Italian media as a reason for the Maranello team’s failure to win the title in 2018.

But team boss Arrivabene told La Repubblica: "Let’s clarify it once and for all. This is fake news.

"Creative stories have been put around very often this year to destabilise the team," he added. "They want to create problems where there are not."

As for the Binotto rumours, Arrivabene insisted: "I absolutely refuse to comment on them."

Ferrari’s car was normally a match for Mercedes’ or actually better this year, leaving Arrivabene to answer why the red team failed to win yet again.

"It’s the habit of winning," he said. "For them, doing the double championship is the norm, but us it’s an event.

"We must shake off the fear of winning," Arrivabene added.