Whether it is his team or otherwise, Mattia Binotto sure is facing some problems with cars. The Ferrari Team Principal has not had a great 2020 season so far.
At times, he has been at a loss of words to explain some of the technical failures. That owes to the self-realization that even upgrades might not be able to save Ferrari in 2020. And that looking forward is currently the best possible option.
Mattia Binotto not enjoying the best of times
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But if a video that has surfaced is to be believed, vehicular issues and Binotto have a long and strained relationship. It is seen from the short video that Binotto’s Alfa Romeo Stelvio was stranded on the side of the road.
Binotto waved his hands at an onlooker to signal that he did not know what had happened. And although the problem was not revealed, one thing is definitely for certain, whether it is Ferrari or his own car, Binotto needs to fix the issues – and fast.
Ferrari’s form seems to have slightly improved
The qualifying in Sochi was one of the many times Ferrari has faced some or the other problem. This time around, the handling difficulty of the SF1000 saw Vettel crash into the barriers in Q2. The German driver had admitted to the fact that though he took some risk, the car was difficult to drive.
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Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, fared relatively well and made the jump up from P11 to P7 on the very first lap. Barring the Stroll incident, he was very good with the car he had. And ultimately, he gave the team a respectable points finish in the battle for midfield positions.
However, Binotto thinks that this was not because of the proposed new upgrades. Speaking in a quick interview after the Russian GP, he said, “No, I don’t think it’s down to the upgrades. That’s not the reason.
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“I think we’ve got a better balance here on these track characteristics. So let’s hope again that we’ve found again some competitiveness, that will give the opportunity at least for the two drivers to compete for a better position in the future.”
Ferrari is still 6th in the Constructors’ Championship standings with Renault 25 points ahead of them. The Eifel GP is up next and the track offers no respite considering how it is equally tricky. But first, one can only hope that Binotto reaches Nurburgring with his car issues fixed on time!