A lot of people were predicting fireworks between Scuderia Ferrari’s new pairing of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the start of the 2021 Formula One season, but harmony appears to be reigning at the Maranello team, as Team Principal Matttia Binotto praised the “team spirit” shown by Charles after the Monegasque driver made way for Carlos in the final stages of the event which took place at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday.
With both Ferrari Sf21 cars having failed to make it to Q3 on Saturday, the Italian side decided for split tyre strategies, with Charles starting on mediums for 34 laps before swapping to hards for the remaining 37 – while Carlos took his hard starting tyres all the way to Lap 48 before a flat-out 23-lap blast to the finish on mediums. This situation meant that Carlos was running significantly faster than Charles in the second part of the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix – and with Charles having graciously allowed his team mate through on Lap 65 to allow him to get after the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo, Mattia Binotto said he was delighted by the cooperation seen between his two drivers, as Carlos eventually claimed P5, with Charles Leclerc finishing in P8 at the Red Bull Ring.
“What I would highlight today is the spirit shown by our drivers, as Charles did not hesitate to make way for Carlos, who was on fresher and faster tyres. That meant we were able to get the best possible result for the team. It’s the right spirit and it’s the way to go as we continue to make progress. When we asked Charles to swap with Carlos at the end, he did it immediately, no discussion, as he understands the importance of the team and how much it’s important to the team to score the maximum points.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
The “maximum points” in Ferrari’s case was 14 at the Austrian Grand Prix, as rivals McLaren gained yet more ground in the constructors’ fight after Lando Norris finished on the podium in P3, as Ricciardo took P7. But with Charles Leclerc’s race having been compromised by not one but two incidents with Sergio Perez – at Turns 4 and 6, and for which the Mexican received a 10-second penalty that ultimately lifted Sainz to P5 – Mattia Binotto was unequivocal that the Italian side’s team result could have been even better at the Red Bull Ring without Perez’s intervention.
“I think that Charles could have done better if he had not had his difficulties in overtaking Perez, but that’s part of the racing,” said Binotto. “I see [the incidents] as the stewards saw them, they’ve been penalised. I think it’s a shame for Charles because those two accidents penalised his final result. I’m sure that if he would have been able to overtake Perez and had the ability to do so, his final race result would have been a lot better.” – the Ferrari boss added.
Scuderia Ferrari now has to recover 19 points from McLaren as the Maranello team sits in fourth place in the constructors’ standings, having scored 28 points to McLaren’s 49 across the first triple header of the 2021 Formula One championship.
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