Italian media believe Binotto - Leclerc relationship "has been cold for a while"

Italian media believe Binotto – Leclerc relationship “has been cold for a while”. Italian media on Binotto - Leclerc relationship.

The third flag is up in Maranello, and Ferrari indeed wanted this victory for Carlos Sainz at all costs. Even paying a very high price, the “sacrifice” of Charles Leclerc, which left half the team unhappy, according to Corriere’s Daniele Sparisci.

Even before arriving to England, the Monegasque had said: “I hope for a smooth weekend, I don’t have one since Miami.” The British stage, on the other hand, has lengthened the list of problems and it seems lately everything has turned against him. The ‘Little Prince’, raised by the Ferrari Academy, the one Ferrari was confident would be able to start a winning cycle. But is it still valid? Trust in the team risks cracking after episodes like this, relations between Charles Leclerc and Mattia Binotto have been cold for a while now. Different personalities and different visions, frictions on how to manage certain situations. Sunday’s discussion between the two is just the tip of the iceberg of a tense period. But Charles Leclerc has a contract until 2024, and even if he wants to look around every seat is taken: Red Bull revolves around Max, Mercedes has chosen George Russell as Lewis Hamilton’s heir.

Charles lost a lot of points and not due to any fault of his, but rather due to reliability (Barcelona and Baku). Other points were thrown out by the pit wall in Monte Carlo and last weekend at Silverstone, which hurt even more. After seeing a certain race win taken from him, Charles Leclerc participated in the group photo for Carlos Sainz’s win and congratulated the Spaniard. Behind the alleged favoritism towards the Spaniard there is actually an explanation: the fear of making mistakes again, of not achieving the result, with the managing director Benedetto Vigna, present in the pits and increasingly active also in the sporting area. Three months without a success after the many pole positions had increased the pressure beyond the normal levels, so Mattia Binotto aimed for the stage victory and did not focus on the World Championship. Zero risk, prudent tactic to avoid another Monaco-style mess. And the Ferrari boss wanted to strongly defend his choices on Monday: “I understand Charles’ disappointment, he’s an exceptional driver, but at that moment we thought about getting the best result for the team.”

Which was also better also for Christian Horner, the Red Bull boss: Sergio Perez gained points over Charles, and Max lost only 6 points. That is great for us on a bad Sunday. The most unexpected thing is that Ferrari did not make the double pit stop or that it did not stop Charles. With the speed they had they would have been back in the lead even if Hamilton had stayed out.” – Christian Horner said after the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone circuit.