Ferrari can be half happy with today’s result in the Turkish Grand Prix. The 16th round of the Formula 1 season highlighted the potential of the new engine, as Charles Leclerc managed to stay close to Mercedes and Red Bull throughout the race, while Carlos Sainz was the author of a great comeback, limited only by a problem at the pit stop. Obviously there is a bit of disappointment due to the podium lost by the Monegasque driver in an attempt to win the race by staying the old intermediate tyres until the end.
Speaking for ‘Sky Sport F1’, in a video call from Maranello (where he supervised the work of the technicians in the factory) at the end of the Turkish Grand Prix, Mattia Binotto commented on the decision to try to go all the way with the Monegasque: “We believed in it. There is certainly bitterness right now. I think it was also a bold move for us to try. We were sure of the third position and the risk was to finish off the podium, which eventually happened. However, the occasion was tempting and it was right to try. After the pit stop, Charles still got back on track ahead of Perez, but then he started to suffer from graining on the rear and this cost us the position.” – the Ferrari boss explained.
“The track in the final stages was slightly drier than when the other drivers stopped,” continued the Maranello team principal. “However, I think it all depended on managing the tire coming out of the pits. Charles pushed a lot, he had Perez right behind him and didn’t have the chance to better manage the compounds in that situation. He then went on to trigger some graining which he then had to clean up. I think the same happened to Hamilton.” – he added.
On the other hand, the Ferrari boss did not need many words to define Carlos Sainz’s performance: “I’m happy with Carlos’ race and the comeback he made. He showed just like Charles that the pace was there. Too bad in his case for the pit stop. Without that delay his final position could have been even better.”
“The power unit is doing well,” said the team manager from Maranello speaking of the new engine upgrade. “It is giving us a small advantage right now. It is not only proving useful in qualifying in getting a good lap time but also in the race. Carlos Sainz was able to make a lot of overtakes, and the upgraded power unit was certainly making its contribution to this. It is good for us to know that both drivers can count on the new power unit between now and the end of the season without having to serve further penalties.” – Mattia Binotto explained.
Progress that, however, must not deceive neither the men of the Maranello team nor the fans: “I think we have to be realistic. We have come close to the best, but for us they are still ahead. The new engine, however, allows us to be immediately behind them. This is important because we are ahead of the rest and this puts us in a position at every race to see the podium and try to reach it.”
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“Today we gained important points: 10 on McLaren. If we manage to consolidate this type of result also in the next races, things will go very well for us. We could see a difference between Sainz and Ricciardo. The two started from practically the same position. Carlos made a beautiful comeback, while Ricciardo got stuck behind. I believe this is an element to our advantage. Something is still missing to be at the top, but we are working on it.”
In closing despite the good performance today, Mattia Binotto wanted to remind everyone, however, to stay focused. The team principal still sees too many mistakes and if you have the ambition to win, then you have to be perfect. On all fronts: “We must continue to push in every area. We need to improve. Every detail counts, we saw it today at the time of the pit stop with Carlos. We cannot be satisfied and we cannot leave this weekend completely satisfied anyway. This is at least my thought.” – the Ferrari boss concluded.
