Vettel convinced Ferrari have bright future after Allison exit
James Allison's departure from Ferrari has not changed Sebastian Vettel's belief in the team's chances of future success.
Sebastian Vettel says he remains optimistic over Ferrari's future after the team made a major managerial change ahead of this weekend's German Grand Prix.
Mattia Binotto, the former head of engines, has replaced James Allison and become the team's chief technical officer.
Ferrari have endured a frustrating 2016 season, failing to win any of the 11 races as they sit 154 points adrift of Mercedes at the top of the constructors' championship.
Vettel acknowledged that the change at the top was a big one, but feels Ferrari are heading in the right direction, praising president Sergio Marchionne, team principal Maurizio Arrivabene and the newly promoted Binotto.
Asked about Allison's exit, the four-time world champion said: "The team have explained what happened in their press release.
"Mattia has been in the team for a very long time so he is very experienced and knows the team inside out. It will obviously be a difference, but in the short-term it doesn't change that much.
"I think we have the right people on board. Things are heading in right direction, it is a big change – it doesn't impact on tomorrow's work, but for the future no doubt about it.
"There has been a lot in the press about what the president expects, but it is good to see he is involved.
"He is pushing the team very hard and also spends a lot of time in Maranello. He knows what he is talking about and is trying to understand what's been going on for the last year in particular.
"In Maurizio's case, he has been involved for a long time. He knows the business very well and he is doing a very, very good job. That is what we feel. He is the leader, he is the team principal and we are happy he is with us."
Despite their struggle to compete with Mercedes, Vettel does not want to give up on 2016 purely to focus on next season's car.
The German added: "We are already obviously working flat out on the [20]17 car – I think everybody is.
"The rules are very different but still I think there is stuff we can learn from this year so that is why I think it will be wrong to forget about this year's car even though next year there will be a different approach and we have people in the factory already working on that."