Ferrari: Mercedes not used to pressure of 2018 F1 title fight

Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene believes Formula 1 rivals Mercedes are vulnerable and not used to the level of intense pressure it has faced in the 2018 title fight.

Mercedes has been the dominant force throughout the V6 hybrid era, but a renewed challenge from Ferrari this season has threatened its position at the top of F1’s pecking order.

A convincing victory for Sebastian Vettel in last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix reduced chief title rival Lewis Hamilton’s championship lead down to 17 points, after the German failed to win the two events prior to the summer break despite boasting the faster package.

Arrivabene, speaking at the latest F1 Live event in Milan in the build-up to this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, said it is time for Ferrari to start throwing some punches back at Mercedes following years of being shadowed by the German manufacturer.

"They are not used to it," he said. "In the last few years we were with our heads held low, we took punches right and left, but we always got up.

"We're used to it. They are not, so the speech made to the boys is simple: let's keep them under pressure.

"Sooner or later, when we reach them [Mercedes], we are the aggressive ones who have taken them [the punches] and we know how bad it is. Now it's time to give them."

The balance of power looks to have shifted in 2018, with the Scuderia appearing to have moved ahead of its rivals in engine performance after making significant strides over the winter.

This argument was strengthened as both teams introduced new engine upgrades at Spa with Ferrari coming out on top, leading to an admission from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff that his side has many deficits to Ferrari.

“It's a recovery but we're still behind," Arrivabene insisted. "We have to put this in our heads that if you win a race, you have not won the championship, and that is our goal.

"We must put pressure on Mercedes, who are not used to it."

Ferrari trails Mercedes by 15 points in the constructors’ standings but heads into its home event as the pre-race favourites as it looks to score a first win at Monza since Fernando Alonso took victory in 2010.