Ferrari aim to 'put a smile on people’s faces' in a difficult time for Italy

Ferrari have made it to Australia for the Formula 1 season opener, but after a difficult pre-season, Mattia Binotto says his team are ready to tackle the challenges.

Binotto was open in the fact that Ferrari were off the pace of Mercedes during pre-season testing, but now the Ferrari team principal says his team are ready to fight.

“After a long winter working on building and developing our car, the time has come to get a first indication of our performance level and how effective are the improvements we have introduced over the past few months," said Binotto.

"We know that the opposition is strong, but we also know that it is the start of a long season where development rate, reliability, and our operational effectiveness will be key.

"We are gearing up to tackle all these challenges as a united team, conscious of the progress that needs to be made and proud of the support of our fans worldwide."

Ferrari came close to being unable to travel to Australia for the season opening Grand Prix, and Binotto said that it was the job of his team to put smiles back on the faces of those suffering in Italy - the northern region of the country in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"At what is a difficult time for Italy and the world as a whole, as part of a global sport, it is our obligation to try and put a smile on people’s faces as they prepare to watch the first race of the season with the same sense of anticipation as ourselves," added Binotto.

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