Binotto Apologizes to Ferrari Fans Despite Strong Styrian GP F1 Performance

It was an eventful Sunday afternoon for the Ferrari duo, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who fought their way through the grid to claim P6 and P7, respectively.

The 14 points ultimately proved to be extremely vital as the Maranello outfit managed to close down the gap to McLaren on the constructor’s table.

However, Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto, felt sorry that, despite the efforts, his team only managed to gain four points on the British outfit, who are currently leading the mid-field pack in P3.

What did the Ferrari boss say?

As reported by Formula Passion, Binotto reckoned that Ferrari pulled off the most perfect race setup in Styria, which consequently made them the fastest mid-field team on the grid. Hence, he sounded quite regretful that the Maranello outfit couldn’t leave the weekend with more points in hand.

“The choices we made today proved to be correct for the race pace, a bit more difficult for qualifying. But we are satisfied,” he said.

Formula One F1 – Steiermark Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Styria, Austria – June 25, 2021 Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action during practice REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

“I think Norris is an achievable goal for us next week, even though each race is unique and can change. Our race pace was much higher than that of the teams we are fighting with. And for this, I am sorry to have recovered only four points,” the Italian added.

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Binotto pleased with Leclerc’s fightback

It looked like Leclerc’s hopes of securing points finish in Styria were shattered when he clipped the rear of Pierre Gasly, suffering damages to the front wing on lap 1.

However, the Monegasque never gave up, as he opted for a two-stopper and still went on to beat most of the grid to claim P7. Hence, Binotto lauded Leclerc for the stellar comeback in the race at the Red Bull Ring.

“Today we showed a good race pace. For Charles, it was a pity about the accident on the first lap. It happens. It was a racing accident. Lastly, he got back up doing all the overtaking he did. And it is a good sign,” he said.

Formula One F1 – Steiermark Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – June 27, 2021 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action during the race REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

The likelihood of Ferrari leading the mid-field pack is quite bright over the upcoming race weekend. But, next weekend, the team will be eyeing to garner a much better one-lap pace to put their cars in a formidable position during the race start.

So, can Ferrari pull off a much better race at the very same circuit over the coming weekend? Well, we’ll know soon enough.

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