Ferrari

Brawn not going to tell Ferrari boss Binotto what to do

He has been mentioned as a source of advice.

Martin Macdonald

Saturday 18 May 2019 15:00

Formula 1 managing director and former Ferrari boss Ross Brawn insists he will not provide advice to Scuderia team principal Mattia Binotto, whom he believes has the experience required to pull the team out of their current slump in the 2019 season.

Ferrari have been, by some distance, second-best in the current campaign, as Mercedes have came first and second in all five races so far. The team has also suffered from poorly judged strategy choices, particularly with regards to team orders issued to Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Binotto has been subjected to plenty of criticism for the poor results, and Brawn, who was with the team between 1997 and 2006, has been mentioned as a potential source of advice for the Italian.

Brawn: Ferrari can still challenge Mercedes in championshipRead more

Brawn, however, reckons Binotto doesn’t need help from him.

“I’m definitely not going to give Mattia any advice,” he insisted.

“He knows what he’s doing, as he’s already experienced this sort of situation during his long career in Formula 1.

“A new cycle has begun at Ferrari and it’s partly from difficult situations such as this one that one learns and improves, because sometimes the cold shower of defeat produces a quicker response than the warm comfort zone of reasonable results.”

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Brawn was full of praise for Mercedes’ performance this year, but thinks Ferrari have dropped away because they have not developed at the same rate as the Silver Arrows.

“Mercedes’ updates appear to have been a significant step forward but it seems one can’t say the same of Ferrari,” he said.

“Listening to the comments of its drivers and of team principal Mattia Binotto, the updates introduced in Barcelona produced the expected results, but not with the same impact as those of their arch-rivals.

“In such a competitive sport it’s not enough to simply progress, you have to do so at a pace that outguns rivals who are often already one step ahead and pushing on with further upgrades. You are aiming at a moving target, the bar is raised every day and it requires ever more effort to catch up. I can understand the frustration surely being felt in Maranello.

“They are working hard, even bringing forward developments originally scheduled for later in the campaign, but still they come to the track and realise that not only have they not closed the gap, it’s grown.”