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“We need the car to finish races first of all!”- Ferrari fans worried about reliability for future races after Mattia Binotto comments

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"We need the car to finish races first of all!"- Ferrari fans worried about reliability for future races after Mattia Binotto comments

Ferrari went through a horror weekend at the Azerbaijan GP as both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc suffered DNFs in Baku. 

After a very strong start start to the 2022 campaign, Ferrari find themselves firmly in the bac foot. They built a comprehensive lead over Red Bull in the opening stages, but are now 80 points behind them in the Constructors’ Standings.

Sunday’s Azerbaijan GP turned out to be their worst outing of the season so far. On lap 9, Sainz had to retire due to a hydraulic issue. Just 12 laps later, Leclerc brought in his car to the pits with smoke blowing out of the engine. This has led to massive concerns in the Scuderia regarding the Monegasque’s power-unit’s reliability.

He already suffered a power-unit related retirement at the Spanish GP earlier this year. If he has to change his turbo charger yet again, Leclerc will be forced to take a grid penalty at next week’s Canadian GP.

After Sunday’s horror outing, Binotto admitted that looking for extra speed in the PU cost them reliability. However, it’s not something he regrets, as he would rather have a faster car that’s unreliable than the other way round.

Also read: “Even if we went higher, the bouncing would remain somewhere”- Mercedes boss Toto Wolff dismisses Lando Norris’ comments on porpoising shown by W13

Ferrari fans react to Mattia Binotto’s comments on Leclerc’s power unit

Binotto did not have answers regarding what caused Leclerc to retire the F1-75. However, he urges calm and assures fans that they will solve whatever issue there is, to fight at the front once again.

“Each single event is different,” he said. “We need to analyze what happened here. I don’t think we have all the answers right now. We’ll be back, try to analyze, fix the problems and become stronger for the future.”

Later, the 52-year old admitted that he prefers speed over reliability. This is mainly due to the fact that fixing a fast car to be more reliable is easier. “I cannot blame the team,” he said. “They have put in so much effort to find performance. I would rather have good performance and try to fix reliability rather than vice versa.”

Ferrari fans did not seem very convinced with what the Italian team boss had to say. The Ferrari car is faster, but if it can’t finish races, it’s performance becomes redundant. However, it was something which Christian Horner too stated at the start of the season when Red Bull was struggling with reliability issues.

Also read: “The team had the option in Lewis Hamilton”: How Michael Schumacher couldn’t see himself continuing in F1 because of then McLaren superstar

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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