Massimo Rivola worked as Ferrari’s sports director. In 2019, he left Maranello after ten years and exchanged four wheels for two. He works for the Aprilia stable.
Rivola still remembers Charler Leclerc well. “It was a lot of fun. It was immediately obvious that he would be a champion, “Rivola told the Italian daily Il Foglio.
“In some ways, he reminded me a lot of Alonso – he wanted to win any competition and he didn’t want to accept defeat. He carried her really bad. We worked a lot on it, on managing anxiety, anger, thinking about mistakes. If you have 15 turns in one, you make a mistake, you can’t think of it in the remaining 14. “
“He did a great job and got a lot better. I think the tragedies that befell him, from Jules Bianchi to his father, strengthened him even more. It still has great potential for growth. I told him what he was missing … he still has to improve in reading the race. “
They felt like fools because of Alonso
When it came to reading the race, Rivola couldn’t help but mention Fernando Alonso.
“No one reads races like him. Many times because of him, we felt like fools on the box wall. He saw further than we did. We were at the computers, he was doing a different job, but he understood things earlier than others. There are riders who will teach you a lot. “
But back to Leclerc. According to Rivola, he can match other young riders. “Verstappen will have a lot of confidence now that he has won. Red Bull allowed him to make a lot of mistakes, which Charles cannot afford in Ferrari. You’re under more pressure there. “
“Norris was a surprise last year, I’ve been following him since he was 16 and he was already very strong then,” continues Rivola, who was surprised at how Norris defeated Ricciard last year.
“Russell is another who has every chance to become a champion. Sainz didn’t surprise me at all. Many years ago, I designed it for the academy. He is one of those who have always been strong. He is intelligent and fast. “
