https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/143180/ferrari-binotto-mercedes-car-lightly-better Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto says Mercedes currently has a "slightly better" Formula 1 car, but insists the gap between the two squads in the championship is not representative. Ferrari's new SF90 was the benchmark in F1's pre-season testing in Barcelona, yet it was Mercedes instead that picked up four consecutive 1-2 finishes to begin the campaign, becoming the first-ever F1 team to do so. The Scuderia's patchy start to the season, which included newcomer Charles Leclerc being denied a likely win by an engine issue in Bahrain, has left it with only 99 points to Mercedes' 173. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has acknowledged that the current gap "flatters" his team's W10 in relation to the SF90, and his counterpart at Ferrari is of a similar opinion. "I think that, four races in the season, no win for Ferrari, four wins for Mercedes, no doubt that they are very strong, and certainly they've got, let me say, a slightly better car," Binotto said after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. "But I think that the gap is not so big, and the points and the results are not reflecting the true potentials of the cars." Leclerc topped all three practice sessions at Baku, and looked in a league of his own at the Azerbaijan-based street circuit before a qualifying shunt dashed his hopes of victory. Team-mate Sebastian Vettel put "a bit of pressure" on the Mercedes cars in the race, but ultimately finished over 10 seconds behind second-placed Lewis Hamilton. "I think that if you've got a car fast enough to score potentially the pole, you've got a good car overall," Binotto said. "In the race, yes, we were not as fast as them, but we didn't finish 20 seconds behind. "I think that Seb somehow at the end of the race was quite close, and if you look what the delta, laptime average, on the race, is significant but still little. "I think it's something on which there is much to try to work and to close in in the near future." Leclerc, who recovered to a fifth-place finish in the race after his qualifying error, reiterated his belief that he "threw away" a great chance. "Fifth place, obviously, when I'm looking at FP1, FP2, FP3 and qualy - even though obviously FP1, FP2, FP3 is not very representative - I am disappointed because I felt great in the car," Leclerc said. "I completely agree with Mattia - I think in the car there was definitely the potential to do pole position and I threw all our chances away by touching the wall. "So it's my mistake, I take responsibility, and basically it [fifth place] was the best we could do from there. "It's a bit disappointing, but on the other hand I think there are some positives to take away from the weekend. "I think qualy pace was definitely stronger than China and race pace was also very close to Mercedes, so yeah, now we look forward and I'm pretty sure we'll come back even stronger in Barcelona." Share this article on
Potential this...potential that... All excuses.....the car is not the main problem....when will they admit the truth?
I gotta admit I like Binotto but I don’t want to hear him talk. Make the teams performance speak for you. Period. Mercedes broke the records with FOUR 1/2 finishes in the first FOUR races. This is damage control.
It's simple. Either Ferrari gets everything in order...car and team...and they start to win...and continue to win...or they fall apart and struggle...and lose. There is no future for Vettel as a number 2. He either starts driving the way a winner needs to, or this is his last season in F1. At that point there are drivers just as fast and at a fraction of the price. Leclerc needs to stop being humble about his mistakes...and just stop making them. For now I see Mercedes winning the WDC 1 & 2, RB's Max placing 3rd...and Ferrari placing 4th and 5th.
Bold prediction for this early in the season, but impossible to disagree with that possibility. I'm not, shall we say, sanguine.
Well, if you talk like "we are only 10 sec behind #2" it is not the language you should speak as a strategic winner.......Ferrari has a bigger problem and they should use their huge resources to set things straight and communicate like a winner rather than defend your self why you are "only" 10 seconds behind number 2......But with a 3 x 1-2 Mercedes is giving everybody a hard time, including the spectators as it gets more boring every next race...I hope Max and Leclerc can give us some spectacle rather than a pageant....... ciao Oscar
There have been 4 Mercedes 1/2 finishes. Every race so far this season is a Mercedes 1st and 2nd. Ferrari are so far behind it’s astounding. All Binotto can say is things like “it’s hard” (no $h!t) and we not as behind as we finish.
Thats a long list of excuses. It's the same as Toto & Hamilton bullshitting us on ferrari's pace, and that they seem 'worried' week in and week out. Come raceday, the Merc is already ahead of Ferrari by 10 seconds on lap 5.
https://www.planetf1.com/f1-races/spanish-grand-prix/should-the-spanish-grand-prix-stay-on-the-calendar/ - Should the Spanish Grand Prix stay on the calendar?
I personaly think the track is crap..boring, plenty of better places to race out there....both circuits in Portugal are far better...
They should race at Villa Real, or Monsanto, Liberty likes city races I saw the first ever race at Estoril in the early seventies and used to go for walks in Monsanto park just outside Lisbon dreaming of the single GP there, one of the most elusive and least documented races in F1 history...a bit like the single Riverside GP or the much later Questor GP at Ontario Motor Speedway both in California...
Amazes me that portimao hasn't got F1 there still. Would be great for a return. Last exciting GP at Barcelona? Anyone know? I think go all the way back to 1996 in the rain? As far as I can remember it's always been a procession no matter the formula or layout, only rain makes it good. That said as a track to go to I do quite like it. You're still pretty far away from the cars but the hills allow you to see a lot of the track and cars for a long time, unlike other tracks (looking at you, Silverstone). Easy to get to from Barcelona both via train and driving, even on race day there was no traffic jam getting in or out. Amazing.
Ferrari in F1 is like my golf game. I have the right clubs, can hit a spectacular t-shot, I can put for gold... I just can’t ever seem to do it on the same hole. Ferrari has the pieces but can’t put them together. Mercedes just has that interwoven confidence between driver, car, and team. All have to be strong. It’s a weakest link theory at play. I think right now the team... the strategy side of things is so suspect that it’s causing the lack of synergy required in F1. Scratching your head after a race leads to doubts and perhaps desperation at the next... not just by the drivers but by others as well who may make decisions to compensate for the failing piece of the puzzle or make up for it. Merc has no such weaknesses.
Ferrari has a stronger driver pairing, but the car is not as amazing as the Mercedes is (thought not massively far off). The thing we are definitely lacking is the team. It's completely disorganized. Nothing to do with harmony or anything like that....it's just very italian. And to fix it they try to be cleverer than they are (see Baku...great margin in Q2 and what do they do? Try and outsmart mercedes by going on the medium, twice). We already had them. There was no need to try and outsmart Mercedes. The crash was largely irrelevant even. Forget the crash...it was just unnecessary trying to do something radical when it didn't need doing. Red Bull on the other hand, a strong organization that work extremely well together (just Helmut opening his mouth when not needed), a very level headed team principal that seems to work great with Newey, who has had enormous offers from other teams to build them cars instead....but he's always stayed on at Red Bull. He loves the atmosphere. Must be a reason for it! They've got at least 1 Great driver that gets the maximum out of the car (especially these days) just about every time you strap him into his seat. I don't know any golf analogies but Red Bull is just polishing the weights in their clubs and they will challenge. Allegedly a big upgrade package coming this weekend.
more track prepping and Mclarens paddock office coming along Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Oh, I remember saying the very same thing on this forum, and getting some flack for it, as my comment was judged to be too nationalistic and even racist !!!
Now we are going back to the testing ground... Now we will see whether simply Barcelona is to the taste of the Ferrari and this is where the good test results came from or whether Mercedes really "outdeveloped" them in that short period
