Binotto: Failures must remain in the past

Mattia Binotto, head of the Ferrari team, commented on the results of the French stage of the championship, and at the same time, judging by his words, he is not inclined to dramatize the situation.

Q: How would you summarize the results of the race? I guess it didn’t go the way you planned…
Mattia Binotto: Yes, the race did not go according to plan. While I believe we showed good speed and worked fairly effectively with rubber, we managed to avoid the increased relegation. I think we did a little better than Red Bull because after 15 laps Charles kept a good pace and managed to get away from Max with two to three tenths a lap.

As a result, Verstappen had to go to the pits early and we were able to extend the first part of the distance. But then Charles made a mistake, this happens sometimes, just like sometimes there are technical problems. I told him that all this complicates our lives a little bit, but in the future, if we manage to turn the tide, the joy of success will be even greater.

Q: Charles also admitted it was his fault. But at the same time, he also said something about the accelerator, but it was hard to tell what exactly he meant. Was it just a mistake?
Mattia Binotto: It was just pilot error. He was talking about the accelerator, because when his car stopped, he tried to shift into reverse and get out of the tire barrier. Not to go into details, I’ll just say that the engine of his car did not respond to the actuation of the accelerator. It had nothing to do with his mistake.

Q: Did the team make the right decision when they called Carlos Sainz on lap 42 for the second pit stop? At one point I even wanted to exclaim, “What are they doing?!”
Mattia Binotto: We are absolutely sure that we have acted correctly. His tire life was already low and it was too risky to try to finish on that Medium set. In addition, he still would not have had enough pace to create a sufficient lead, as by then he had already been given 5 penalty seconds.

But after the pit stop he was able to set the fastest lap of the race, for which he earned an extra bonus point. Overall, I believe this was the safest and most correct decision.

Q: What do you say to the team after a race like today? Don’t you think these kinds of stories are too common?
Mattia Binotto: Of course, there is always room for improvement in our approach, and we should always learn from our mistakes. I think we are gradually progressing and getting better. But we have proved again that we have a very fast and competitive car, so today’s failures should be left to the past and prepare for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Maybe we can win the winning double there – why not? In general, we should now fully concentrate on preparing for the next phase.

Q: It is likely that there will also be warm weather in Hungary, just like in France. Do you think this will play into Ferrari’s hands and that you can recover today’s lost victory there?
Mattia Binotto: I don’t think it will get any warmer than today. Our machine performs quite well in warm conditions, but it does just as well in cold conditions. In Hungary we will set it to maximum downforce, and it will be different than here. Red Bull will also increase downward pressure, so we don’t expect them to have a noticeable top speed advantage.

Again, in Hungary difficulties are possible due to overheating of the rubber, on the Hungaroring it also works with increased loads, so next weekend we will have to solve about the same tasks as today.

Q: Ferrari is noticeably behind Red Bull in both standings. At the same time, it seems like you have a very fast car that you can fight for victories with. But if you think there are still chances for the title, you can’t afford to make any more mistakes…
Mattia Binotto: No one can afford to make mistakes, neither us nor the opponents. It’s important to stay focused and try to win all the remaining races until the end of the championship – nothing else is left. And it will show what comes of it.