Ferrari needs to be better at using political games against their rivals as they did last year, team boss Mattia Binotto says.
The Italian team faced scrutiny of the engine throughout 2019 but it notably increased when the Scuderia started winning races after the summer break, with Red Bull particularly linking FIA technical directives to Ferrari suddenly losing pace in Austin.
Through it all, Binotto denied there was ever anything illegal with their engine and he suspects the others knew that also and were simply trying to cause disruption.
“They pointed their fingers at us. It was just about building pressure,” he told Motorsport-Total.
“You have to answer every question in interviews, and there was a certain tendency. We had to live with that.”
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Red Bull has also threatened further protests against Ferrari in 2020 if they feel there is something illegal but it seems the Swiss team boss is ready to fight back.
“Formula 1 is not only a technical and sporting challenge but also a political one,” he added. “That probably showed one of our weaknesses in the season.
“We are not good enough when it comes to politics, there are people who do it better and they use the media to build up pressure.
“We have to understand how we can do this better and act better in the future because this is part of the balance of power during the season.”
Indeed, with recent rumours from Ferrari insiders of unhappiness at the 2020 car, many are wondering if they are genuine or whether it is Maranello trying to play mind games ahead of testing later this month.