Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto insists F1 flops are NOT in crisis despite worst result in decade at Belgian Grand Prix
FERRARI boss Mattia Binotto insists the team are not in a crisis – despite their worst result in a decade.
Both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished outside of the points at the Belgian GP as they came home in 13th and 14th place respectively.
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Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished outside of the points at the Belgian GP
Both drivers also missed out on reaching Q3 in qualifying, with their car way down on performance.
Vettel and Leclerc have both been frustrated so far this season, with the team down in fifth place in the constructors’ championship.
But underfire Binotto says the team’s slump is only temporary as he bids to turn their fortunes around.
Speaking after the Belgian GP, he said: “I think it is wrong to use the word crisis for the moment we are going through.
“Certainly this is a very bad result within a difficult season that we are experiencing.
“But we knew it was coming, we saw it in winter testing, and then came the impossibility to develop the car.
“We all take responsibility for this situation. I take that as team principal as well as all those who work in Maranello.
“We are all in the same boat. But although the team is in the middle of the storm, we are very united.
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“There is no crisis, no tension. There is bitterness and frustration in each of us. But I believe that this frustration must be transformed into reaction and determination.”
Ferrari’s slump is bad timing for the team as it is the Italian GP at Monza this week followed by another GP at Mugello to celebrate their 1,000th race in F1.
And while 2,880 spectators WILL be allowed in to the Mugello circuit, there seems to be little to celebrate at the moment.
Binotto added: “We understand the fans. We are very sorry, we are the first to admit, and we are sorry for them too.
“What is happening, in fact, is that we have a car that has lost power, just as all the engine manufacturers have lost it. We more than the others.
“Last year the engine partly covered the limits of the machine, but this year it is no longer the case.
“The limits of the machine are emerging. On that point it is clear that we must improve.”
Meanwhile, the FIA are investigating Antonio Giovinazzi’s terrifying crash that sent a wheel hurtling towards George Russell’s Williams.
The Brit was forced to take evasive action to swerve out of the way of the wheel that had come loose from Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo.
Russell admitted he was thankful for the halo cockpit protection system and now the FIA are looking into what caused the wheel to break away.
F1 race director, Michael Masi, said:”Yes it is a concern. Why it became detached I am not 100 per cent sure.
“Once the car came back to the drop-off area, our technical teams had already started their investigation, taking a number of photos and we’ve got all the available footage.
“The technical department, together with the safety department, will investigate why [this happened].”
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