Mattiacci out as Arrivabene becomes Ferrari principal

Scuderia Ferrari have appointed a new team principal in name of Maurizio Arrivabene, replacing Marco Mattiaci who only joined the team 8 months ago, but recently lost a lot of credit in his handling of Alonso's departure.

Ferrari boss Marco Mattiacci has left the Formula 1 team only eight months after joining and will be replaced by Maurizio Arrivabene.

On Friday, rumours surfaced via Bild that a change at the top of the Scuderia was becoming increasingly likely, as some senior members within the team started to feel like Mattiacci lacked the motorsport experience required to run the Scuderia. Even though having considerable management experience, Mattiacci never got in touch with Formula One before leaving his post as head of Ferrari's sales channel in North Ameria.

New principal Arrivabene is more acquainted with F1 having worked for major sponsor Philip Morris and being an F1 commission member. The Italian joins with immediate effect in a move that has been put together by new Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne.

"We decided to appoint Maurizio Arrivabene because, at this historic moment in time for the Scuderia and for Formula 1, we need a person with a thorough understanding not just of Ferrari but also of the governance mechanisms and requirements of the sport," said Marchionne.

"Maurizio has a unique wealth of knowledge: he has been extremely close to the Scuderia for years and, as a member of the F1 Commission, is also keenly aware of the challenges we are facing. He has been a constant source of innovative ideas focused on revitalisation of Formula 1.

"His managerial experience on a highly complex and closely regulated market is also of great importance, and will help him manage and motivate the team.

"We would also like to thank Marco Mattiacci for his service to Ferrari in the last 15 years and we wish him well in his future endeavours."