“It’s Not Good Enough for a Team Called Ferrari”- Mattia Binotto Admits Upgrades “Didn’t Pay Off”

Saturday was another disappointing day at the office for Ferrari. The Maranello-based outfit almost replicated their performance from the last weekend, only this time the order of both drivers was reversed.

This time around it was Charles Leclerc who didn’t get out of Q2, and as a result will start the race in P14 (after a three-place grid penalty), while his teammate Sebastian Vettel only fared marginally better in P10.

It was not an easy day for qualifying considering the weather (and track) conditions. But whatever boost, that Ferrari would have hoped to gain with a new front wing and floor never came.

The SF1000 struggled in the soaking wet conditions and Vettel let his team know the challenges he faced during qualifying. Similarly, the Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto was also left shaking his head.

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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto admits upgrades were a bust

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Binotto was under no illusions about the team’s performance. He said, “It was a really disappointing day. We have to accept that the stopwatch is not lying and we must not ignore the facts.

“We were not competitive today, not even compared to those who have been behind us so far. The hard work to get the upgrade on track didn’t pay off. We have to find out why and change this. It’s not good enough for a team called Ferrari.”

The Tifosi were understandably upset about their team’s performance. Having a Williams only 0.008 seconds behind a Ferrari does not reflect well on a team that has ambitions of winning the championship.

However, by now, the Maranello-based outfit and its fans would have already realized that this is not going to be their year.

Instead of contending for the title, Ferrari is more likely to be embroiled in the heat of the midfield battle, for the title of ‘the best of the rest.’

However, even topping the midfield group won’t be an easy job, considering the pace McLaren, Renault, and Racing Point have shown so far.

Early indications suggest a long season is in store for the team in red and its fans.

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