Mattia Binotto has elaborated on Ferrari’s team orders policy, which has been in the spotlight in recent races.
During the British Grand Prix, there was some ambiguity, or at the absolute least, some grey area, as Charles Leclerc felt his teammate Carlos Sainz should have been asked to step aside earlier than he was because of a difference in their respective paces.
The Ferrari duo fought early on for second place in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint as Max Verstappen, the leader of the World Championship, raced out into the distance on his way to a comfortable victory.
In comparison to Red Bull, Ferrari has struggled with strategy this season. Leclerc’s chances of winning the World Championship were particularly jeopardised in Monaco and Britain when he dropped from first to finish fourth on both occasions.
According to Binotto, the Scuderia is attempting to maximise the number of points they can accrue collectively rather than concentrating on one driver, who from a championship standpoint should be Leclerc.
“The fastest car on track is the one which is prioritised,” Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto, told reporters. “We believe by doing so, certainly at this time of the championship, is the best thing we can do. If, later in the championship, there will be one of the two drivers that got most of the opportunities, certainly we may try to give him full priority, but it’s not the situation right now.”
“So we need to cope with it, but still I’m pretty happy to see those two drivers fighting.”
Ferrari, according to Binotto, is still very much in a position where they must prioritise overcoming their direct competitors before figuring out what suits each individual better inside.
“First, what we are trying to do each single race is [to] try to maximise the team points,” Binotto added.
“Obviously, there are two championships, the Constructors’ and the Drivers’. By maximising the team points, I’m pretty sure we are as well maximising the drivers’ opportunity by taking points from the opponents.”
“The opponents should not be Charles for Carlos and Carlos for Charles, but certainly Max, Lewis and the others.”
Leclerc enters the French Grand Prix 38 points behind Verstappen after four opportunities to win have been lost this season due to mistakes in strategy or mechanical issues.
