Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has hit back at claims made recently by ex-Ferrari chief engineer Luca Baldisserri of the team in a 'climate of fear' and says any of the current pressure or tension is normal for the Italian manufacturer.

In a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport Baldisserri explained Ferrari's rate of progress had been stalled by the intense pressure heaped on by president Sergio Marchionne and Arrivabene to win immediately, having bounced back from a winless 2014 with a strong showing in 2015.

With zero wins so far in 2016 and having slipped behind Red Bull into third place in the F1 world constructors' championship, Marchionne is understood to have become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress.

6 things to watch out for at the United States Grand Prix

Arrivabene has shrugged off the 'culture of fear' claims and feels any extra pressure speculated from the outside is not felt within the Ferrari hierarchy and is certain the current demand for results is normal for the most successful constructor in F1 history.

“It is an old story, Ferrari in Italy is like the national football team – any pressure is normal, any tension is normal, any criticism is normal. You have to live with that,” Arrivabene said. “Sometimes it goes too far and our job is to be concentrated on what we are doing. We will follow our way and do our jobs.

“This is part of the job if you work at Maranello, if you work for a brand like Ferrari you have to accept all of this whether you like it or not. The atmosphere inside the house is completely different to what it is thought about or what you are reading in newspapers.”