Ferrari forgets its pre-season principles and issues instructions from Australia

We would have been lied to on the side of Ferrari ? Thursday March 14, ahead of the first tests for the Australian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel assured to evolve on an equal footing with his new teammate Charles Leclerc. “Everything is very clear and Mattia (Binotto, the boss of the Scuderia. Ed.) already said it: we have the right to pull the wool over our eyes. » After attending the first event of the 2019 season on Sunday March 17, we can have big doubts. 

Installed in third place since the lights went out, the four-time world champion conceded a place facing a sharp Max Verstappen (Red Bull). 

“I don’t know what happened to be honest. The second stint was slow right out of the pits. If you look closely, Max stopped 10 laps after me and Charles too, and they had no problem with their medium tires., says Sebastian Vettel. 

But the most embarrassing was yet to come. During the last kilometers, Charles Leclerc closed to less than a second of the other Ferrari. Was the duel going to take place? No, since the champion's engineer Formula 2 2017 advised him to slow down through disguised orders. 

« Leclerc – Should I stay behind Sebastian? Yes or no ? 

Engineer - Yes, slow down to have some room (behind Sebastian Vettel). »

Here is the radio team of @Charles_Leclerc asking if he should stay behind Vettel

Charles: “Should I stay behind Sebastian? Yes or no? »

“Yes and back off to have some margin”

Charles: “Okay.”#AusGP pic.twitter.com/PNH8000UYn

- Darkness. (@Vetteleclerc) March 17, 2019

Mattia binotto explained this instruction without embarrassment. “With 10 laps to go, there was no justification for taking any risks. They weren't fighting for first place. » Correct, only fourth place was at stake.

The objective of the main team was therefore to score as many points as possible without risking internal clashes. “ It was more important to bring the cars to the finish and collect the points. Sometimes, in events where you are not the strongest, it is important to be satisfied with these points. »

This is Ferrari in a delicate situation. Not only does it clearly not have a car capable of overcoming the competition as one might think, but the arrival of Charles Leclerc could give headaches to the Scuderia strategists. In this situation, sporting ethics can wait.

Find the analysis of the Australian GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2208 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands.