Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has once again defended his drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, saying that they are not an “explosive” partnership.
The rivalry between the duo escalated to new heights in Brazil when they crashed into each other and both ended with a DNF next to their name. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Mattia Binotto disagreed with the description that the partnership between Vettel and Leclerc is an “explosive” one.
“We have a great driver pairing, not an explosive one,” Mattia Binotto said – “Our drivers are very fast and very ambitious. Nevertheless, what happened in Brazil should not have happened. Even if it was just a small contact, it still had a big impact. But outside the car, Sebastian and Charles are good with each other. They know that the collision was unacceptable and they talked about it in private. They know the way we want to go and they know that the team always comes first. There is a good atmosphere and the perception from the outside is a deceptive one. They talk to each other, they exchange information, they are open. I do not think it’s difficult to manage the two.” – he explained.
Mattia Binotto did agree, though, that the collision in Brazil ended up being somewhat of a storm in a teacup given the minimal contact between the two drivers. However, due to disastrous consequences, more care has been taken when Vettel and Leclerc do go into wheel-to-wheel combat.
“It’s true that it was not a crazy action,” Mattia Binotto added – “But if you drive against your team-mate, you have to be a little more careful. In the end, there were zero points for Ferrari on paper and that’s not good.” – he added.
In the same interview, Binotto has also spoken at length about the engine saga that also blighted Scuderia Ferrari’s 2019 season, especially in the second half of the campaign.
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