Ferrari believes in coming back against Verstappen

“Red Bull is Austrian, but based in England, so I see it as two wins at home to Red Bull,” assured after the F1 Austrian GP Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto happy for Charles Leclerc’s success, which he deserves after 5 races where reliability failures or the wall have left him without success. But in turn, “sad for Sainz”, for the fire in his car and a lost double for Ferrari. All of this, when combined, shows two clear things: Ferrari was fast and was able to beat Red Bull on two different tracks. Especially significant success in Austria is more at home than Red Bull ano sa Silverstone and on a track where just a few months ago Milton Keynes won by power. Ferrari won, with solvency, with good tire management. But on the other side of the scale is reliability. Ferrari knew it had to improve on that aspect in order to aspire to the crown. But Mattia believes in it. He is “worried” only about the reliability of future careers, but “not in the medium-long term”.

but, Mattia Binotto made a speech full of hope at his press conference after the Austrian GP, ​​ensuring that it was not only necessary to aim for the drivers ’title and it was still possible to achieve it, as Leclerc was 38 points from Verstappenbut return is also possible in Builders World Cupwhere Red Bull He took 56 points from those from Maranello mid -course.

“We’re talking worldbut I want to talk ‘the World Cups’ (of pilots and constructors). I don’t know why we’re always focused on just one. We still believe in it “taught Binotto, emphasizing the importance of his car winning tracks as diverse as Silverstone either Spielberg.

“It’s a car that now, at Silverstone and in previous races, has shown that it can be competitive and that it can always fight for victory. In Monaco and Spain Charles had a huge advantage in racing. Red Bull brought it. its developments in England, and we have one thing and I will say that the overall balance of performance of the two cars has remained unchanged: some tenths in favor of one or the other depending on the track. It is obvious that we do not give up, not our habit of giving up, to all the race that is left..

Of course, in Binotto’s speech it is necessary to say that Verstappen had destructive speed at Silverstone and could have won at will if his car had not been damaged by a piece coming from Tsunoda’s car.

“This success is as valuable as before. We already had a winning Ferrari at Silverstone and now only the drivers have changed. It was a victory that was important for Charles, no doubt, because in the last races he had a chance to win without success., for one reason or another. It is important for him to take home this result. I was as happy for him, as I was sad for Carlos. I’m having a great career and it seems like we could have had a double, like in England, that we didn’t come home to this opportunity for reasons of reliability ”, Mattia continued.

THE RELIABLE

“How much do I worry about reliability? It worries me for the next races this season, but it doesn’t worry me looking at the medium-long term,” he assured..

“As a team, I am confident that we will have the ability to solve these problems. I know the engineers at Maranello. however, Having a high-performance machine that we know we’re working hard to adjust for reliability gives me hope about the future. ”, the Swiss-origin engineer pointed out after another engine shrinkage, in this case from Sainz. That is, he reiterated the idea he had launched a few months ago: he would rather have a fast car than be reliable and work on that basis.

“You have to intervene, but the times are usually quite long. New parts have to be designed, then made and approved to ensure their reliability. To find a specific solution, the times are usually greater than in their week. What can be done in the short term is to try to manage it in terms of mileage and usage without limiting performance. After this weekend we will try to better understand what it is about, because at the moment we have no guarantees, I can only speculate ”, he added as a possible short-term solution so that Carlos’ problem will not be repeated in the next appointment. in either of his two vehicles.

Ferrari development

Binotto wanted to elevate the work performed by the team in general, and in particular, the effort and skill of the Maranello factory, from the car’s initial projection, to the present. And this is in addition to having a fast car from the start, Mattia stressed how important it is that new pieces brought to the track during the course always mean progress. In that sense, he recognized that so far Red Bull’s strength with respect to Ferrari continues to be its superiority over the DRS, albeit less than in some races.

“We are at a disadvantage compared to Red Bull in terms of top speed, mainly because of the advantage they have in the open DRS. We worked on this and introduced the new rear wing to Canada which reduced this speed difference. I think they still have a small advantage, but very little and almost nothing. ”

“In the power zones we are very close, so the battle is played mainly in the limited grip sectors, in the corners, where we can make a difference. But I think now we are fast not only because of the car, but thanks also .to drivers who do exceptional work of set-up and balance throughout the weekend, as well as tire management and driving ”, he explained.

“Developments are being analyzed to optimize the package in all its areas,” Binotto continued.

“The wing is an optimization, like the search for the vertical load, the set-up, the balance, the wheel management … The latest line is the ability to combine it all. We found that there was a good deal. weekend the Haas without any upgrades, as they were able to make the most of their vehicle on a particular track it’s true that we paid for some of our speed lag with Red Bull at the start of the season. It’s important to us, but overall performance should be seen as the sum of everything “clarification by the engineer, who also pointed out the progress made by the entire team.

“The car continues to grow, but not only that, but also the team, the drivers … in Austria the pit stops are also in good condition. Then there are the improvements we bring, including the latest package in England. For me the best news is when we carry something, it works. We brought in new bodywork that provided its advantages, as well as a new rear wing that had to remove the speed disadvantage we had compared to Red Bull. We saw in the race, we had no disadvantage. The good news is the improvements we’re bringing are working and it’s a team that stays focused and aggressive. ”