F1 | Binotto: “We have to look at the glass half full”

Going from a victory that seemed to have been acquired by now to a brace from direct opponents is a blow that could knock out anyone, without exception. But at Ferrari it seems that what happened this afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has certainly hurt, but also amplified the awareness of being competitive and being able to have one’s say throughout the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Charles Leclerc was forced to retire as he was dominating the Spanish Grand Prix. The Ferrari F1-75 once again showed itself to be the car that had appeared super in most of the races at the start of the season. A circumstance, that of the withdrawal, painful for the team. But Ferrari is aware that they have the right material to aim for great results and two drivers who, in different ways, have the weapons to exploit the potential of the F1-75.

“Right now we have a Charles who is guiding in a divine way. Carlos will get there, but we have to give him a fast enough car to allow him to be ahead of everyone, ”said Mattia Binotto, Ferrari team principal, immediately after the end of the Spanish GP.

The retired car of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, in the garage

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

A retreat like Leclerc’s, as mentioned, hurts. But Ferrari prefers to look at the positive aspects of this weekend, because the F1-75 are back in great shape thanks to the first, big package of updates that the team brought to Montmelò in Barcelona.

“You absolutely have to look at the glass as half full. After six races we have a very fast car that took pole yesterday and was the best performing on the track today. We must be happy that we have made a good car and that we have been able to develop it. I have always said that after six races we would have evaluated the performances between the various cars and ours, on a complete track like Barcelona, ​​went strong both in qualifying and in the race ”.

“Obviously we are sorry for the reliability problem of the power unit, but I am proud and proud of the work done by the guys. A problem has occurred and together we will try to understand and solve it “.

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Both in Imola and, above all, in Miami, the Ferraris had shown difficulties in managing the tires, that is what in the first races had been one of the great strengths of the Reds. In Barcelona, ​​race pace once again became one of the factors that made Ferrari cars fearful for everyone.

“I’m happy with the race pace after the last few rounds where we struggled. Today there were difficult conditions and we were on a track like Barcelona that wears tires a lot and has always been our black beast. Today perhaps we were the team that had less wear on the front ”.

“Charles was managing and that must make us optimistic. Today we had problems, while Red Bull had them at the beginning of the season. It’s a championship that needs to be managed from race to race, but knowing you can count on a good package is the most important thing “.

In a season with 22 races it is difficult to make long-term predictions, especially if only 6 of these have been played. By virtue of this, Binotto preferred not to look too far, but focus only on the next races in which he said he expected a competitive Ferrari.

“I don’t know if we will be able to play it until the last race, but we will certainly play it in the next ones because, as I have already said, the developments that will be made until the end will count. To date, after six races, the team has managed to develop the car and it is an important element ”.

To conclude his speech at Sky Sport, Binotto talked about the improvements made by Mercedes. The W13s turned out to be more performing than the first 5 outings of the season, but the gap they showed at the end of the race was still very large. The Silver Arrows may be a factor in the fight for the titles, but it will be difficult for them to be continuously.

“Having a Mercedes closer means that in certain races it can take points away from some. Today Russell took them away from us, but they finished 30 “late and if Charles hadn’t stopped the delay would have been 40”. They are always 7 tenths per lap in Barcelona. It is true that they have come close, but there are circumstances like today in which they can take away points ”, concluded Binotto.