Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed that he did not watch the last laps of last Sunday’s Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring due to being so anxious about Charles Leclerc’s throttle issue.
The Monegasque driver seemed to be heading for an easy win as Ferrari were set to take a one-two finish in Austria, but as usual there is no easy weekend for the Maranello team, as things quickly started to go bad towards the end of the race. First Carlos Sainz had to retire due to a power unit issue just as he was about to overtake Max Verstappen for second place. The virtual safety car was then deployed to recover the fire-damaged F1-75 car of Carlos Sainz, just as the Monegasque started to report issues about his throttle, with the accelerator getting stuck open in corners.
It would not have been the first time this season that Ferrari lost a race win in such conditions, with Charles Leclerc having to retire in Spain and Azerbaijan while in the lead. As a result, there were clear concerns of the potential for repeat heartbreak this time. The situation was so worrying for Mattia Binotto that the Ferrari boss could not face watching the track action as Charles Leclerc drover outstandingly to manage the gap to Max Verstappen and secure the Maranello team’s fourth victory of the 2022 Formula One championship.
After the Austrian Grand Prix, Mattia Binotto was asked what was going through his head in the final laps of the race gvien the reliability worries and the Ferrari Team Principal said: ” Binotto said: “I have to admit, I was very nervous. Disappointed as well for what happened to Carlos. But so nervous that I stopped watching the race in the last three laps.” – he added.
Ferrari believe that Charles Leclerc’s throttle issue was caused by some form of mechanical failure. A detailed investigation will take place the following days back at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello. Mattia Binotto also feels that Carlos Sainz’s power unit failure was most likely a repeat of the same problem that affected Charles Leclerc at the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan.
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“Obviously we need to look at what happened today,” he said. “Is it the same we had already in Baku with Charles? Very likely. It’s certainly a concern, but the people back at Maranello are working very hard try to fix things. Obviously, looking at what happened to Carlos, it has not been solved yet. But we have new elements and I know how strong they are working and how good they are. I can count on them that it will be addressed very soon, and hopefully as soon as possible.” – he concluded.
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