Ferrari F1: Mattia Binotto Reveals SF1000’s Sad Expectations to Employees

The 2020 F1 season hasn’t begun yet but it has turned into an absolute nightmare for Ferrari. As the team grapples with legal issues, epidemics and a car that remains a mystery, Mattia Binotto had some unsavoury news for his team. Allegedly, Binotto has sent staff a letter on the SF1000 and its no Christmas card.

Binotto further lowers Ferrari SF1000 expectations

So far, nobody knows the true form of the SF1000. Yes, it didn’t particularly impress in testing but it did show a few glimpses of some hidden pace. The team principal himself proclaimed that the car wouldn’t be victorious in Australia and many F1 pundits have written off the 2020 car.

But could this be Ferrari’s jab at sandbagging? if yes, then Mattia Binotto just took the game to a whole new level.

Apparently, the Italian has written to Ferrari staff telling them not to have high expectations. The letter paints the SF1000 as a sub-performer and warns employees not to anticipate great things in Melbourne. Furthermore, the letter also suggests that car may struggle in the first three races on the F1 calendar.

This time last year, Ferrari were riding high and mighty. The prancing horse team had dominated pre-season testing and fans were expecting the team to annihilate the competition when the season began. We all know what really happened…

Could this be Ferrari downplaying expectations deliberately and hiding true pace? Will the SF1000 emerge a dark horse and catch everyone by surprise? Being Ferrari, I wouldn’t put anything past the team.

Binotto did reveal that the team had good race pace but struggled in qualifying simulations.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Binotto said:

“If you look at the picture of the winter testing I think we have got relative to the others a better, but doesn’t mean the best, race pace compared to the qualifying pace,”

“I think we’re suffering a bit more on qualifying simulation compared to the race simulations, and that is something on which we need again to understand, analyse and eventually address it.

We’re less than 5 days away from F1 action and I cannot wait to see how the season unravels.