Binotto: “A problem perhaps even with the initial concept of the car”

Mattia Binotto and his staff are scratching their heads to find the fault of the Ferrari SF90, unable to keep pace with the Mercedes since the start of the 2019 F1 season.

Published on 13/05/2019 à 15:36

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Binotto: “A problem perhaps even with the initial concept of the car”

Where does evil hide? This is certainly the question that the engineers of the Team Ferrari followinga disappointing Spanish Grand Prix (Sebastian Vettel 4th, Charles Leclerc 5e).

La car Italian woman seems to be suffering from a deep illness, aerodynamic improvements were unable to erase in Barcelona. Sunday evening, Mattia Binotto, head of Sports Management at Maranello, practiced the Coué method. “The updates made in Barcelona, both aerodynamically and on the engine, worked well (…) but they proved insufficient. »

#SpanishGP action #Seb5 # Charles16 # SF90 #esseFerrari pic.twitter.com/z6S2E205J2

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 13th May 2019

The day after this curious declaration, the Italian changed his tune. And that’s not very reassuring for fans. “We lose a lot of time in each turn. There is quite a bit of understeer. This is something we really need to analyze. It will take us several more days to draw a clear conclusion.

It could be a problem with balance, support, perhaps even linked to the initial concept of the car. I think we don't have the answer, he admits, before correcting himself. I don't think it's a disaster.

And passing GAS, now he is P5 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/UKNQnfMWiT

- Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) 12th May 2019

If it's an initial design issue, it depends on what it is specifically, and I think there are things we can resolve over the course of a season. How long will it take us? It's hard to answer. I think the most important thing is to find a way to resolve the issues and I'm sure I'll do it quickly. »

We should not delay, since Mercedes is 96 points ahead in the Manufacturers' standings against Ferrari after only five Grands Prix.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Spanish Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Catalonia, in issue 2216 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.