Binotto: “I feel responsible”
Catastrophic scenario for Ferrari during qualifying, with a technical problem on both cars. The entire team was thus disheartened before approaching the race.
This practically never happens and yet! Both Ferraris were indeed victims of a mechanical problem during the same qualifying session. It all started on the first lap in Q1 with Sebastian Vettel, who reported a loss of power over the radio. After analysis, it was an issue with the airflow to the turbo that was to blame. The penalty was even more brutal: the German champion will start in last position on the grid in front of his home crowd: “It really hurts that it happens here. I was looking forward to having fun. It’s really a shame.”
He is all the more frustrated because he was convinced that his car clearly had the potential to aim for pole position: « I had a very good feeling yesterday, even better this morning. I hadn’t put everything together, so I thought I had a good chance. But now I have no chance at all! »
All hopes of the Scuderia then rested on Charles Leclerc, who had distinguished himself during every free practice session. The first two parts of the session went smoothly. Until the traditional weighing on the FIA scales. After this mandatory stop, his car simply refused to restart: “Already, one car was already tough. But now, with both, it’s really difficult.” But where the Monegasque proves that he has the makings of a great is when he refuses to blame his team: “It’s true that it’s the second time we’ve had a problem (Editor’s note: he was deprived of victory in Bahrain by a mechanical issue), but I’ve also made mistakes that have cost the team (during qualifying in Baku). So overall, it balances out.”
In this context, technical reliability can only be called into question, and naturally, all eyes turn to the technical direction, which is also held by Mattia Binotto, who combines the roles of team director and technical director. The Italian engineer does not seek to shirk his responsibilities: “We showed this weekend that our race pace is good, which makes it all the more frustrating not to have been able to demonstrate what we are capable of in qualifying. We are angry at ourselves. I feel responsible for what happened. I am also aware that we must react calmly and do our best tomorrow.”
Knowing the chronic instability that affects Maranello in the case of non-results, one might expect a new palace revolution in the coming months…
From our special correspondent in Hockenheim
