Red Bull Ring the reason for Ferrari's good performance, says Binotto

Mattia Binotto thinks the characteristics of the Red Bull Ring suited the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, and were a major contributing factor to the team putting in one of their best performances of the season.

While Mercedes struggled in the heat, Ferrari prospered, as Leclerc took pole in qualifying and looked destined to win in Austria, only for Max Verstappen to steal the victory with two laps remaining.

Along with the Canadian GP in which Vettel was stripped of the win after a penalty, it represented Ferrari’s closest brush with a race victory this season.

Binotto admits that “certainly the track characteristic is the main factor” behind the performance and that he expected such a performance as the track fitted the strengths of the cars, unlike the Circuit Paul Ricard for the French GP.

“I think we’ve seen before to come to Paul Ricard that it could have been a difficult weekend,” the Ferrari boss said.

“We knew coming here [Red Bull Ring] that we may have a better chance.

“But we are aware as well that we are improving our car. So we think it’s a combination of the two factors. So I think at the end of Paul Ricard the car has improved compared to Barcelona. Here furthermore we have new updates on the car which went in the right direction.”

However, it means that there are still tracks remaining in the F1 calendar which won’t necessarily suit Ferrari.

“Will we be able to fight, to battle on all the tracks? I don’t think yet,” Binotto confessed.

“There are still tracks where it will be more difficult for us.

“But again for now to then we may also bring a few developments and I think we can only see race by race.”

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