Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has rejected Sebastian Vettel’s complaints after another difficult race at Silverstone on Sunday.
The four-time world champion started 12th and finished 12th in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, telling the strategists on the radio they had “messed up” by stopping early and coming back out in traffic.
“I honestly think there is little to say about strategies,” Binotto responded to Sky Italia.
“We [were early] perhaps by a few laps with the call that made him lose the position to [Kimi] Raikkonen. However, we knew he would recover without losing time.
“It allowed Charles [Leclerc] to continue his comeback. Overall, it was the right choice for the team and we don’t think we penalised Sebastian.
“He regained [the position] immediately on Kimi, he wouldn’t have been able to do an overcut on Kvyat because he was going as fast as he was at that time, and then he undercut Sainz.”
Instead, the Ferrari boss said that if anyone had messed up Vettel’s race it was himself after spinning on the exit of the first corner.
“His race was compromised at the start, and I think that was the key, not the strategy chosen,” he concluded.
Another suggestion the German then put forward for his early stop was a fast-approaching Leclerc on fresh tyres and perhaps he was pitted to avoid any possible drama.
“We were not sacrificing Seb,” said Binotto. “We thought at the time that it would have made no difference for him stopping a bit earlier or later.
“I think that reviewing all the data, eventually by leaving Seb outside on track we may have left at least the one-stop strategy open to him as well, which we didn’t. It’s not a matter of ‘sacrificing’ or not.
“He always says that maximising the team’s points is the first priority. I think we tried to achieve that and not were trying to compromise anyone.”
Also Read:
- Vettel lacked support at times but ‘doesn’t regret’ his time at Ferrari
- Vettel admits ‘rough start’ to final year at Ferrari ‘not ideal’
- Leclerc mystified by strong Ferrari pace en route to P4 ‘victory’
All this frustration stems from two miserable weekends for Vettel at Silverstone which saw him struggle for confidence and speed versus Leclerc.
The Ferrari boss has raised the possibility of giving Seb a new chassis if it is thought that could improve his performance at the coming races.
But at a time when it does appear the relationship between driver and team is straining, Binotto is sure the 33-year-old can turn it around.
“I don’t think Sebastian has lost faith,” he said.
“He is going through a difficult time in qualifying and the last two races where he hasn’t found confidence in the car. Here, he spun putting his wheels on the kerb, and his race was uphill.”
