Sebastian Vettel: Why Mattia Binotto isn't to blame for Ferrari woes

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel: Why Binotto isn't to blame for Ferrari woes

Seb is happy with the new man in charge.

Martin Macdonald

Friday 16 August 2019 11:41

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Sebastian Vettel has defended the tenure of Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, whom he credits with establishing a feeling of calm within the team despite their current struggles.

The Scuderia are the only one of the top three teams yet to win a race in 2019, with Mercedes winning 10 and Red Bull winning two. Their lack of wins has seen them drop 150 points behind Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

Subsequently, significant pressure has been put on the drivers, Vettel and Charles Leclerc, and team boss Binotto, who replaced Maurizio Arrivabene for 2019. The German, however, believes his boss is doing a good job under the circumstances.

"The situation hasn't been easy, we haven't won every race,” Vettel said.

“That's the most straightforward situation you can have. We didn't have the first half of the season that we were looking for, yet the focus is there and everyone in the entire team is remaining calm and determined to make progress as soon as we can.

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"Some things don't click or happen overnight, but I think we have a good understanding of where the car is, where we need to go, and hopefully the next months will if we are picking the right direction. But Mattia is doing really well, keeping the team together and calm.

"At the same time, he's reminding us of where we need to go. His role is different to his role in the past, but the team is around him and the organisation is very similar to twelve months ago.

"There's not that much change but again I think that's a positive. From where we are, we need to get stronger as a team, but he's giving us the right lead, I believe."

Comparisons will naturally be made between Binotto and Arrivabene, but not by Vettel, who thinks it is not right to match their tenures against each other.

"I don't think it's fair to compare one versus the other," the four-time world champion insisted.

"Every year and every situation is a bit different. But one thing I think we have achieved so far as a team with Mattia as our leader is to remain calm.”