Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto explained that he would rather have a good performance and need to improve reliability than the other way around, and hopes to have answers to the problems already in Canada
The Azerbaijan GP quickly turned into a disaster for Ferrari. Before even halfway through the race, the team saw both of its cars retire from the race. Carlos Sainz had hydraulic problems, while Charles Leclerc saw his engine go up in smoke on lap 20. Italian team boss Mattia Binotto said he is very concerned about the situation, but said he would rather have to fix a fast car than find performance in a reliable car.
"I'm not surprised, I'm certainly worried and in a way I'm disappointed, because it's something I know we need to fix and we haven't been able to. But I can't blame the team, because I know the effort they have put in to improve performance in the past. I know it's a long journey, and we were not enthusiastic at the beginning of the season," said the manager after the race in Baku.
"As I said, we are on a journey and we need to take a step forward now. We will stay united as a team and work hard. We have been able to do a good job so far and we know that the job is not over, but we will do it. I'd rather have a good performance and have to improve reliability than the other way around," Binotto revealed.
Christian Horner, head of Red Bull, Mercedes%20mesmo,de%20F%C3%B3rmula%201%20%2D%20Great%20Pr%C3%AAmio" class="ek-link">had already said something similar to pin Mercedes even after Max Verstappen's abandonment in Australia. Ferrari now seeks to understand the causes behind the two breaks, and hopes to find solutions as early as next weekend's Canadian GP.
"It's an even bigger concern now, because I don't have the solution, and I would love to have an answer now. All we know is that we will have to change engines, that's a fact, and it's very early in the season. Sometimes problems don't have a quick solution. I don't know what strategy we are going to have to adopt, whether it's just to decrease the mileage, use the engine in another way, or just a quick fix," Mattia explained.
After leaving Azerbaijan with zero points, Ferrari saw the gap to Red Bull increase to 80 points in the Constructors' World Championship. Among the drivers, Leclerc dropped to third place, 34 points behind Verstappen. Even with the unfavorable situation, the team is not looking to despair in its quest for a victory in Montreal.
"I don't think we need the victory at all costs. We will be focused race by race, trying to maximize our potential on the weekends. Today things certainly didn't go well, and it wasn't just reliability, we need to investigate the details," Binotto concluded.
Formula 1 returns this Sunday (19) for the Canadian Grand Prix, which will be held again after two years off the calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with full coverage by GRANDE PRÊMIO.