Ferrari had their strongest result of the season last time out at the Turkish Grand Prix, with the team’s outgoing driver, Sebastian Vettel, winning his first podium of 2020 and Charles Leclerc finishing in P4.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto wasn’t there to witness Vettel’s podium in the flesh as he recently announced he would be missing most races of the remainder of the 2020 campaign to spend more time in Maranello.
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Commenting on the result, Binotto has said he is happy for Vettel and believes it was important for the German to have such a good race amid a “difficult” season.
“I’m very pleased for Sebastian. I think a podium for him is very important. It has been a difficult season for him,” Binotto said.
“I think he has started being, at least now at the end of the season, [more] comfortable with the car. He is delivering better.”
Continuing, the Ferrari boss dug a bit deeper into Vettel’s strong performance at Turkey.
“He had a very good start, very consistent, with good pace. He was managing the tyres, managing to keep the positions, and holding the positions. And overall, even on the last lap, he did well because he took the opportunity. And it’s great for him.
“He just finished third, very close to Perez. But great, I’m happy for him. Still three races, and hopefully we will do as well in the next one,” Binotto added.
Meanwhile, Vettel noted that he has “obviously” been struggling with the Ferrari SF1000 this season but added that driver skill is more of a factor in the wet than the dry.
“I think I’ve struggled obviously to squeeze the maximum from the car.
“I hope in the next races we are closer. The races I think we’ve had so far have obviously been compromised because once you are in the back, you are sort of stuck.
“In the wet, everything is a bit different and you can…you can be lucky or unlucky, you can make a difference more than in the dry,” Vettel concluded.
The strong result at Istanbul has made Ferrari a contender for third in the Constructors’ Championship, so the rest of the season will be crucial for the Scuderia given how tight the “best of the rest” battle is.
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