Sergio Marchionne has declared that Ferrari team boss Maurizio Arrivabene's job is safe.

Before the Ferrari and Fiat president's high-profile arrival in Barcelona, rumours that mounting pressure at the Maranello team could result in Arrivabene's forced departure were building.

"No, these rumours are rubbish," he told Italian media before the Spanish Grand Prix.

"The work he is doing is extraordinary. The truth is that in a very competitive industry as this, it would create other problems rather than help.

"The team is completely transformed compared to the past so let us work."

Pointed out, however, that it was he who piled the pressure on Ferrari by demanding victories, Marchionne said: "It's my role to stimulate the team and ask for victory.

"The pilots? I just spoke to [Sebastian] Vettel and [Kimi] Raikkonen and they were very surprised by what happened in qualifying yesterday.

"But they are two of the very best in the world and they enjoy my confidence. We are only at the fifth race."

"A similar thing with the tyres [temperature] also happened with Mercedes last year in Singapore, so let's see what we can do in the race," he added, referring to Ferrari's third-row start positions.

"We have four drivers ahead of us and all of them are very good. We'll see.

"We are where we are, so let's wait and we will try to move forward and achieve many successes. Are Mercedes too strong? I don't know, let's see."

Raikkonen and Vettel finished second and third in Barcelona, behind winner Max Verstappen.