The Paul Ricard race saw Charles Leclerc defend the first position conquered in qualifying on Saturday at the start, also showing a decent superiority on the race pace. On Sunday the Ferrari driver quickly turned into a disappointment, however, when the Monegasque driver lost control of the F1-75 at the Beausset corner, ending his race against the barriers. The regret for the Scuderia del Cavallino is accentuated by the excellent potential expressed by the car, the same that instills optimism in the Team Principal of the Maranello team.
In the traditional post-race press conference, Mattia Binotto he was not harsh on Charles Leclerc for the mistake he made, calling it a common episode for a driver: “I told Charles that the championship is difficult but not impossible and that he will enjoy even more in the event of a final victory. We have to stay focused on every race. If I look at the latest appointments, we have been very careful. It has not always resulted in the best result in terms of championship points, but that does not mean that this will not happen in the next races. The potential is there and with it the drivers. I am quite positive and we are positive that we are lucky to be racing in Hungary in seven days ”. The number one of the Cavallino also clarified that Leclerc’s error was not the result of a more aggressive pace than usual in anticipation of an immediate stop: “There was no pit stop in the lap of Leclerc’s mistake. We were lapping and at that moment the medium tires on our car were performing well, Charles was handling them correctly. Our intention was certainly to extend that race stint ”.
After finishing against the barriers, the Monegasque opened up via radio complaining about some problems with reference to the accelerator, an episode on which Binotto clarified: “There was no throttle problem, it has nothing to do with Austria. What happened was a genuine mistake by Charles, which happens, there is no need to say how good he is as a person and as a driver. What you heard on the radio referred to reversing to get out of the barriers, a strategy and I won’t go into details. Essentially, he was pressing on the accelerator and not feeling all the torque, but there was nothing wrong with it ”. Binotto took advantage of the accelerator theme to investigate the problem accused at the Red Bull Ring: “In Austria there was a small shock absorber on the pedal that tended to get stuck and we have already done what we had to do to prevent the problem from happening again ”.
Among the themes of the French Sunday at Ferrari, Sainz’s controversial stop with eleven laps from the end also stands out: “I think the choice we made was the correct one”Binotto explained. “Carlos did not have all the information from the cockpit and it was difficult for him to judge. Initially we were trying to extend his stint as much as possible to ensure the best management of the tire life, trying not to overestimate it. As soon as we had all the information available, however, we realized that the life of the rubber would not have been enough to get to the bottom. Staying out would have entailed risks in terms of tire safety and reliability. That said, I still don’t think Carlos’s pace was enough to extend the lead over Perez and Russell beyond five seconds to offset the penalty. It was therefore important to stop, we also set the fastest lap, which is one more point for the team and for Carlos. Once again, I believe we made the right decision at the right time ”.
The excellent comeback of Carlos Sainz once again certifies the goodness of both riders of the horse: “I have always believed that we have two riders up to par and that’s what we wanted. I think that as a team being able to count on two riders is the best thing. Carlos had a wonderful weekend, it’s a pity that he started from behind, but he led him and won the maximum possible points in a race like today. Having two ambitious drivers is good and useful, it can only bring good. I was there at the time of Michael, at the beginning of the season his teammate also had the ambition to win the championship. Then it was the track that determined who was behind it. From our side as a stable we will try to put in better conditions the driver who at that moment has the best chance as a team to take home a constructors’ title. To do that, I think we need two drivers. To date, for example, we can see how, all in all, Red Bull is missing the second “.
The main positive note of the Le Castellet trip was the performance of the updates developed by Maranello, which respected the forecasts of the simulations: “We have brought a new bottom, with an improvement in terms of performance and downforce, but also on the rebounding and porpoising front. On the latter aspect, however, it is difficult to be able to judge here at Paul Ricard, because it is a very smooth track where no one has really suffered from it. We will understand this more in the next races. Once again, however, the team did well, I believe that his ability to carry on development has improved a lot, but not only. Even this year’s project, when we presented it in February, everyone saw how different it is from the others and everyone was asking questions. It is a team that had the courage to make choices, bring them to the track and prove they were correct, as well as the developments it is producing. This team must be acknowledged ”.
The Team Principal then took stock of the entire weekend: “It was a good weekend in terms of performance. The car looked very competitive and Carlos showed it too. Charles took pole position, he was leading the race and I think we were getting the better of the tire management from the fifteenth lap. Max had to stop while we could have extended the stint. When Verstappen stopped because he was suffering from tire degradation, Charles was gaining about two to three tenths per lap. This shows once again that our car is strong in so many areas and that the drivers are doing a great job too. We leave Le Castellet with full confidence in our package and our drivers. We are lucky because Hungary will be there in a week, it will allow us to turn the page and move forward. It will be very hot and once again it will be a question of managing the tires and their overheating, similar to what happened at Paul Ricard. We have to be positive, our goal in Budapest will not be a win, but a double“.
In view of the rest of the season, however, according to Binotto, reliability should no longer be a big concern in Maranello: “There have been reliability problems and we are never sheltered, so saying that they have returned is not the expression I would use. I think we understand the problem and therefore are handling it. We have not yet resolved it definitively, but that does not mean that we have to remain in suspense. Managing it means facing the race with the confidence of being able to finish it ”. At the Paul Ricard Sainz and Magnussen they were provided with new power units, which however did not present any particular novelties: “The new engine fitted to Carlos and Magnussen is identical to that of Charles. Anything fitted for reliability? Not this“.
In conclusion, Mattia Binotto shows optimism in view of the next appointments: “What I’m focused on is going to every race and getting the maximum result. It didn’t happen here at Paul Ricard, but we are already focused on Hungary to score two goals. At the end of the season we will take stock and see where we will be. The most important thing today was to see the goodness of the package and there is no reason why we can’t win ten races from now to the end. We have to stay positive, I like to be optimistic ”. The Team Principal therefore expresses enormous confidence in the car and in the team, which from the outside one could hardly believe. Already in the past, however, Mattia Binotto has shown that he is extremely open, sometimes even being criticized for the excess of transparency. The F1-75 therefore has the technical potential to close an apparently unbridgeable gapa potential that the team must be able to realize: “To win you have to be perfect in everything. No team is perfect though. To date, for example Red Bull is not the fastest car, brought some developments to Paul Ricard that they took out of the car and therefore didn’t work. On Saturday Perez was asked to give Max the wake in qualifying, but he didn’t listen to the team. Perfection does not exist. For our part, we are definitely not putting it all together well, there is always one reason or another why we don’t get the best result. There have been reliability issues with broken engines, leading to the same result today as a child of a driver’s mistake. It happens, even if it doesn’t have to happen. We will improve. I don’t think we’re missing anything in particular, other than staying focused race after race. The package is there, we will manage the reliability problems, while our riders do not even question them “concluded Binotto.
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