Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel signals his pole position start at the Singapore Grand Prix on September 20, 2015. PHOTO/AFP
LONDON, November 26- Bernie Ecclestone admits he is delighted to see Ferrari challenging at the right end of the grid again, saying it’s “important for me and all of Formula 1”.
After a disappointing 2014 season during which they failed to win a single race and claimed only two podiums, Ferrari returned to winning ways this year with Sebastian Vettel standing on the top step of the podium on three occasions.
The German has also claimed another nine podiums while Kimi Raikkonen has also chipped in with two top-three finishes to put the squad in a comfortable second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
When asked by La Gazzetta dello Sport about the best thing about 2015, Ecclestone replied: “I can say that in one word: Ferrari. Their return to victory was important for me and all of Formula 1. We expected it.”
He added: “How they were able to get back on top in such a short time. I supported Vettel and his move to Ferrari and when I saw him finish first in Sepang it was fantastic.”
Ecclestone also had plenty of praise for four-time World Champion Vettel and feels the German is one of the top four drivers of the modern era.
“A driver must also be judged on how they perform based on their surroundings,” he said.
“There are a lot of drivers that could fight for victory but they are rather anonymous. Vettel has had good cars but he’s also shown himself to be very good so I would include him in the top four with Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.”
Meanwhile, the Formula 1 supremo reassured Italian fans that he has “no doubts” Italy will eventually secure its long-term future on the Formula 1 calendar.
“We cleared things up. We will find a solution, I have no doubts, so that we can secure a race in Italy,” he said.
