“I think as Ferrari fans we’re happy for his result” – Ferrari team-principal Mattia Binotto happy to witness Sebastian Vettel win podium, but disappointed with his own team at Baku.
Sebastian Vettel’s ex-boss Mattia Binotto has mixed feelings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku. While happy for Vettel win his first podium for Aston Martin, the Italian rued their own chances of finishing the race better.
For those unaware, Binotto and Vettel had a problematic relationship at Ferrari. It all came to a boil when the team selected Carlos Sainz as the replacement for the four-time champion without even informing him in the first place.
The Ferrari team principal nonetheless congratulated Vettel for his achievement, speaking to Sky Italia.
“A special race for sure. We’re also happy for Seb, a second place for him and it was a deserved second place. I think as Ferrari fans we’re happy for his result.”
Charles Leclerc missed out on podium despite starting on pole
It was not a great day for Ferrari though, especially for pole-winner Charles Leclerc. He has gone from winning back-to-back poles to not even finishing on the podium in either.
Leclerc just missed out, despite overtaking Pierre Gasly towards the dying moments, before the AlphaTauri driver reclaimed his spot. His teammate Carlos Sainz was P8, enough to help Ferrari overtake McLaren in the constructors’ standings. Binotto, however, naturally regretted the golden opportunity to see Ferrari red on the podium.
“Our race was not a good one. We remain a bit disappointed. I believe that our pace, once we had a clear track, was not that bad – but we have to understand with the soft tyres, we knew we were a bit more in trouble in the first stint.
“We’ve been [in trouble] maybe a bit more than we should. Then we complicated our race via the drivers themselves.
“That being said, we did a great qualifying, two poles in a row and we gain the third place in the Constructors’ Championship, that we never had since the beginning of the season. So the direction is for sure the right one, and for sure there are positive aspects from this weekend.”
