Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto can’t help but leave Monaco disappointed after a win slipped through their fingers.
Charles Leclerc was on pole for his home Grand Prix, but that didn’t come without issues. Leclerc crashed his car into the barrier, after clipping the wall in the dying stages of qualifying. If the crash had caused an issue with his gearbox, he would have been issued a grid-place penalty.
Come Sunday, Ferrari confirmed Leclerc was ok to race with his old gear box. However, when he was driving his car to the start straight before race start, Leclerc noticed the car still had issues. On inspection at the pit, it was deemed he had an issue with his driveshaft and was now unable to start the race.
On the other side of the garage, Carlos Sainz Jr. secured his first podium at Ferrari with a second-place finish. He was able to challenge Max Verstappen for the lead at various points but was unable to get by at a track it is difficult to overtake on.
Despite missing out on vital points, Binotto believes the team is showing signs of improvement with a pole and a podium.
Binotto said: “A weekend of very contrasting emotions for us. Today we had a real chance of winning and so, to leave Monaco with just the points for second place is a touch disappointing.
“On the other hand, there’s the satisfaction of Charles securing a great pole position yesterday, as well as Carlos’s first podium in red and especially the signs that the team is making progress step by step.
“I was very pleased to see Charles at the podium ceremony to celebrate Carlos’s second place with the team. It was a very difficult day for him but he wanted to be with us at what was still an important moment for the team. This is another example of what #essereFerrari means and it is with this sort of attitude that one builds for the future.
“Now we have to focus on the next round in Baku. We know it’s going to be difficult to be as competitive as we were at this track. It will be important for us to keep going down the path we have taken.“
