Formula 1

Binotto Has Concerns Over Ferrari’s One Lap Pace Heading into New Season

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Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd

Mattia Binotto insists he was satisfied with how the six days of pre-season testing went for Scuderia Ferrari, but there are still a lot of things for the team to address with the SF1000 before the season gets underway next month in Australia.

Charles Leclerc completed one hundred and eighty-one laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday’s final day of the test, almost three race distances of the Spanish track, adding to the laps he and team-mate Sebastian Vettel had done across the opening two days.  Across the six days of the testing schedule, Ferrari logged eight hundred and forty-four laps.

Binotto, the Team Principal at Ferrari, says the programme they did in 2020 differed greatly from 2019, but there are still concerns about the outright pace of the SF1000 compared to their rivals over one lap, although these concerns ease when it comes to longer runs and reliability.

“I am satisfied with how these winter tests have gone, from the completed programme to the way the team has worked,” said Binotto.  “We approached these two test sessions in a very different way from last year, using the first three days to get to know our car in all the possible configurations.

“Over the last two days, we have carried out race weekend simulations with Sebastian and Charles. I believe the performance over a dry lap isn’t yet where we want it to be – while the indications are relatively better when it comes to reliability and long runs too, albeit not yet positive enough.”

Binotto says the team will now head back to their Maranello base to analyse the six days worth of data so to improve the SF1000 ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, where everyone will find out just where they sit compared to their rivals.

“We will head back to Maranello with a huge amount of data to analyse in the knowledge that we have a range of work to do,” said Binotto.  “But as a team we feel ready for the Australian Grand Prix, which will give us a clearer idea of where we stand.”

Charles Leclerc completed a day-high one hundred and eighty-one laps on Friday – Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd
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