04/07/2022
NEWS STORY
As questions continue to be asked over Ferrari's decision not to pit Charles Leclerc under the safety car - a move that proved costly - team boss, Mattia Binotto clarifies the team's strategy.
"For sure I can understand his frustration," says the Italian in terms of Leclerc's disappointment at losing out on a possible win, or at least a podium finish. "When you're comfortably leading a race with just a few laps to go and you don't win, then it's natural to feel disappointment.
"But Charles' disappointment is also our disappointment," he adds, "we win together and we lose together.
"We're as frustrated as he is about his result, because the way he drove yesterday was amazing and showcased once again how strong a driver he is. Charles thoroughly deserved to win the race, if it wouldn't have been for the safety car."
Asked why Carlos Sainz didn't yield to his teammate during the first stint, when Leclerc was clearly quicker, Binotto is adamant: "The answer is quite simple," he replies, "it was not necessary to do it at that point and there was still a lot of time to make that decision.
"Our priority is always to maximise the situation in order for the best team result. Only when this goal is under threat do we need to act.
"We did this during the second stint and swapped cars when Carlos was not fast enough and our opponents were catching us."
As to why the team pitted Sainz and not Leclerc under the safety car.
"At this moment it was common sense to prioritise the lead car by protecting track positions," says Binotto. "There's nothing unusual in this strategy, we always prioritise the lead car and therefore Charles in this situation.
"(However), he was on fresher tyres at that point, and if he had pitted, our opponents would have done the exact opposite and gained track position on almost new hard tyres... just think of Lewis Hamilton at last year's season finale in Abu Dhabi when he stayed out on track.
At the same time we decided to put Carlos on the opposite strategy in order to cover all opportunities. If we wouldn't have done that split strategy, we would have risked losing the race and handing the win to our opponents."
Asked why Sainz didn't allow his teammate ten car lengths at the restart and whether the Spaniard was ignoring team orders, Binotto replies: "Absolutely not, Carlos wasn't ignoring the team, he made it clear to us that he had to protect himself against the pressure from behind and in doing so, he was protecting our goal to stay ahead.
"As a team we fully appreciate this and we were all aligned. Without this insider information I can see how this could be perceived as Carlos not being a team player. But a few laps before he swapped positions without any hesitation or complaints, clearly demonstrating that he puts the team first.
"My feelings haven't changed since yesterday," he adds, "I'm very pleased with Carlos' performance, not only in the race, but throughout the weekend.
"His confidence is growing steadily and he handles difficult conditions well. His first win was only a question of time, we've known this from the start and, it was not only fantastic for him, but also great for us as a team to see him on the top step of the podium."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Silverstone here.