- There are calls to sack Ferrari staff
- But team Principal Mattia Binotto says this is not happening
- He says his team made a lot of good decisions just as it made bad decisions
Despite Ferrari’s requests to remove staff due to strategic failures in their championship race with Max Verstappen, Mattia Binotto has defended his team members.
Even with criticism from outside observers, Binotto maintains that his team has made about the same number of good decisions as bad ones this season.
The team manager insisted that every member of his squad was “excellent” and that he still had “confidence” in them.
He said told Sky Sports F1 that he’s looking at the entire balance of the season and making the right plan in France. He is sure Ferrari got it right in Austria and several times in 2022.
Binotto said Ferrari is not as vulnerable people think because they make mistakes just as other people do. However, he has faith in his whole squad which he feels is fantastic, and that’s why he’s behind them.
Mattia Binotto. Photo/PlanetF1
Due to Ferrari’s questionable decisions, Charles Leclerc has lost ground in his chase of championship leader Max Verstappen.
During the Monaco Grand Prix, Leclerc lost the lead as Ferrari pitted him later than Carlos Sainz due to miscommunication amongst team members.
At the British Grand Prix, the Prancing Horse botched up his strategy and finished outside the podium places on a day when Verstappen had problems. Nico Rosberg, a former world champion, is one of Ferrari’s most outspoken advocates for structural improvements.
Rosberg was shocked after a decision by Ferrari robbed Sainz of a podium finish at the French Grand Prix. He said the time has come for some major adjustments in the team.
He said bad judgment by Binotto cost the team a penalty after stopping for a pit rather than continuing to race till the end.
Rosberg terms all this an adverse evaluation of the situation, which requires Bonitto to stay in charge by making the right adjustments.
After making a number of mistakes in the first half of the season, Charles Leclerc is now 80 points behind Red Bull’s Verstappen in the championship standings.
Mattia Binotto. Photo/Ferrari
At the 2022 French Grand Prix, Leclerc had his heart broken for the third time. At the drop of the green flag, Leclerc was in the race’s lead, but he made a mistake and had to pull out.
While Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race and increased his lead to 63 points, the Monaco driver collected zero points throughout the course of the weekend in France.
Leclerc has 170 points, good for second place in the championship. So far in the 2022 season, he has experienced a string of unfortunate events that has cost him 75 points after being in a winning position.
Verstappen is currently in a commanding position atop the rankings for the 2022 Formula One season, holding a huge lead with 233 points.
He has won seven races so far. Leclerc is in second place with 170 points and is certainly sad by the lost opportunity to gain some ground on Verstappen. Thus, critics feel Ferrari’s bad decisions cost the team a win.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login