The Austrian Grand Prix put a spotlight on Scuderia Ferrari’s on-track strengths as well as their weaknesses, as Charles Leclerc took home the victory at the Red Bull Ring while Carlos Sainz saw a podium finish slip away due to a reliability issue.
Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto said that the team did a great job throughout the race, from the “quick” pit stops to an aggressive strategy that gave the team the upper hand against Max Verstappen.
“There are a lot of positives we can take home from today’s race. We have secured our second consecutive Grand Prix win, which confirms that we are doing a good job with a car that is proving to be competitive at every track.
“Our management of all aspects of this race went well, from our detailed preparation, even after yesterday’s Sprint and I think we made all the right decisions in terms of strategy, running an attacking race right from the start. That meant we were able to put Verstappen under pressure, forcing him into a defensive race.
“The mechanics carried out five very quick pit stops and the drivers executed everything we asked of them prior to the race and managed the tyres very well.”
The win didn’t come easy for Leclerc, who closely battled Verstappen for the win in the race’s later stages while dealing with an issue with his throttle pedal. Sainz looked to be on to earn Ferrari a one-two finish before he had to retire with an issue that saw his car catch fire. Binotto said that he is confident that Sainz will be back and ready to make up for the lost result in races to come.
“Charles drove like a lion, overtaking Max on track no fewer than three times and Carlos looked like doing the same which would have resulted in a well-deserved one-two finish. Of course we are very disappointed for him, but I’m sure he will fight back in the upcoming races.”
Sainz’s Austria retirement was Ferrari’s fourth reliability-related retirement of the season, which is a concern for Binotto, who said that the team is aware of the issues and will strive to solve them.
“We are still suffering with reliability problems, we know what they are and we must make every effort to solve them as soon as possible. I am sure we can do it, but after a performance like today’s, I want to congratulate the whole team, here at the track and back in Maranello, where all the departments did such a great job over the winter.”
