Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto doesn't think it's time to prioritize one of his drivers in Formula One, but he understands that it could happen later in the championship.

Binotto understands that the Reds supporting one of their drivers over the other through team orders is a particularly "delicate" matter, especially given the Scuderia's history.

Right now, Charles Leclerc is ahead of Carlos Sainz in the drivers' standings, with Leclerc second in the world championship table with 170 points, while Sainz is fourth with 133 points.

Binotto insists that the focus is still on the team as a whole at this stage of the season, rather than favoring one driver.

"First, what we are trying to do in each race is to try to maximize the team's points. Obviously, there are two championships, which is the Constructors' and the Drivers'."

"By maximizing the team's points, I'm sure we're also maximizing the drivers' opportunity by taking points away from their opponents."

"The opponents should not be Charles to Charles and Charles to Charles, but certainly Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and the others."

Binotto says when Ferrari would prioritize a driver

There was a lot of noise in the press and on the internet about Ferrari's strategy choices at the British GP, as Sainz won the race while Leclerc - who is closest to Verstappen in the championship fight - dropped from first to P4. The fans and surprisingly much of the press complained that Ferrari did not prioritize Leclerc.

However, Binotto said that now is not yet the time to bet on one driver over another, although he accepts that this may change as the championship progresses.

"That's how we see it; the fastest car on the track is the one that is prioritized," the team boss explained.

"We believe that doing that, certainly at this point in the championship, is the best thing we can do.

"If, later in the season, there is one of the two drivers who got the best of the opportunities, we can certainly try to give him full priority, but that's not the situation now."

"So we need to deal with that, but still, I'm very happy to see our two drivers being able to fight."