The boss of Ferrari F1, Mattia Binotto, says that the team is still missing an essential ‘X factor’ which has prevented it from fully competing for the world championship with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes.
When asked what he thought Ferrari was missing, Mattia Binotto said: “It was the winning mentality of the Schumacher era. He encouraged you to improve with every victory.”
Ferrari now has a team of clearly ambitious and talented drivers in Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. But Mattia Binotto, 52, clearly knows what he’s talking about.
Mattia Binotto joined Ferrari’s engine department 27 years ago, just before Michael Schumacher left Benetton. The partnership has resulted in five of Schumacher’s seven titles.
Of course, it wasn’t just the glory of Michael Schumacher, but he was at the center of an iconic management that included Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and car designer Rory Byrne.
Mattia Binotto himself was trackside when Michael Schumacher scored his first Ferrari victory in the 1996 F1 Spanish Grand Prix.
“This was also my first victory,” said Mattia Binotto.
“When I heard the national anthem, I understood what it means to be a Ferrari.”
“From there we started winning championships in 1999 and 2000.”
Mattia Binotto took over as Ferrari F1 team principal from Maurizio Arrivabene at the start of January 2019. The team suffered a terrible season in 2020, but got things under control in 2021 and looked like title contenders this season.
Charles Leclerc won two of the first three races and took a 34 point lead over Max Verstappen in the championship. Since then, however, despite numerous pole positions, Leclerc has only won once.
Carlos Sainz Jr also took his first win with the team at Silverstone, but all the other wins went to Red Bull, while Max Verstappen leads the title fight by 116 points with six races to go.
And with Ferrari currently trailing Red Bull by 139 points in the Constructors’ Championship, a reinvigorated Mercedes are now vying for second place in the standings.
“We had a very difficult season finishing sixth in the 2020 Constructors’ Championship,” confirmed Mattia Binotto.
“These are the years that defined us. We endured pressure and criticism, and in a way they shaped us.
“But doing homework well is no longer enough.”
“We made a promise to be competitive again and we have kept that promise.”
“But my point is that there is still a gap between having a car that performs and a driver and being able to integrate the ability to make it happen in every situation.”
Category: F1 / Ferrari / Michael Schumacher
