Binotto qualifies Hamilton's comments on Ferrari's performance

In the little game of liar poker, the dice seem to be well and truly cast. Earlier this Friday, Lewis Hamilton admitted to seeing the Ferrari SF90 potentially faster half a second than the Mercedes W10. Words to which Mattia Binotto, director of Scuderia Ferrari, did not fail to bring his own point of view.

“After these days of driving, we are still focused on ourselves, trying to understand our car, the limits of performance and reliability, indicates the Italian. These days are important for preparation for the entire season.

I'm delighted that Lewis Hamilton thinks we are faster. I think they are very strong and Mercedes will be in Australia. I think it's a mistake to believe that today we are faster than them.

We can carry different fuel levels, we have different programs. I don't expect to see them behind, or they will be very close. »

Binotto also returned to the performance of Charles Leclerc, new starter this year for Scuderia Ferrari, who showed himself at the level of his illustrious teammate Sebastian Vettel chronometrically in Barcelona.

“Charles is a talented pilot. Here in Barcelona he focused on discovering the car, the new team, the engineers. I don't think there was a relative battle between him and Vettel on the track. They had similar lap times, which demonstrates Charles' speed.

But we already knew that, he has been with us for a while and we saw him at Alfa Romeo. It is not a surprise. »

On the supposed internal hierarchy at the Scuderia, Binotto specifies that the two drivers will have carte blanche at the start of the campaign, even if “Sebastian has the most experience with us, he has won championships before, so he is our champion. » as the transalpine engineer declares.

The latter also admits that the test program experienced some mishaps in terms of reliability (such as the electrical problem this Friday) and did not go as hoped. “I would like us to be faster and more reliable. » slips Binotto.

#Seb5 car stopped due to an electrical issue, which would take too long to repair. That's it for today. Winter #F1Testing wrapped up. # SF90 #esseFerrari pic.twitter.com/nGuTmbwNZE

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 1, 2019