Ross Brawn hopes the victory for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in Belgium can have a positive impact on the team going forward.
After a year of frustration and near-misses, the Scuderia finally got the job done as the Monegasque crossed the finish line just 0.9s clear of Lewis Hamilton at Spa-Francorchamps.
And, as a former technical director at Maranello, Brawn was delighted at how the entire Ferrari team came together to achieve it.
“Fans of other teams will have to forgive me, but the Belgian Grand Prix finally delivered an enormously gratifying first win of the season for Ferrari and more specifically, a wonderful maiden F1 win for Charles Leclerc,” he said, showing his still clear affection for the Italian team.
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“It was pretty much a perfect weekend for Charles, who got the very most out the package and critically received all the support he needed from the team.
“That included assistance from Sebastian Vettel, who managed to hold off Hamilton for a few vital laps, a delay that was to prove decisive, given that the championship leader was definitely quicker in the closing stages.”
Brawn also believes the first win of the year will benefit team boss Mattia Binotto, after a difficult first nine months in the role.
“It means he can tackle the pressure more calmly now, especially from outside the team,” he claimed.
“One has to understand that in Italy, Ferrari is seen in the same light as the national football team and so the pressure is immense.
“It’s also a well-timed win because it comes a few days before the next round, the team’s home race in Monza.”
Interestingly, on that very point however, Binotto wasn’t too interested in the achievement.
“To be very honest I don’t think my first victory as team principal really counts,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
“I’m more happy for Charles, more happy for the team, and I really I think if there is any applause it’s to them. I think we are working as a team, roles don’t matter.
“We proved that the strength of the team can be very important.”
