Vettel jokes Ferrari should 'leave Binotto at home' more often

Sebastian Vettel has joked Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto should stay away from races more often after the team registered its strongest result of the year with the Italian back home in Maranello.

Ferrari has endured a torrid season, with the drivers' standings underlining the fact Vettel has struggled more than team-mate Charles Leclerc to get on top of the SF1000.

But after Vettel claimed his first podium of the year with third in the Turkish Grand Prix, and Leclerc trailed the German home in fourth, he quipped that maybe the team boss should stay away more often, leaving sporting director Lauren Mekies in charge.

"I think we scored probably the most points this year for us and Mattia wasn’t here!" said Vettel. "If the next race we don’t score as many points we try again to leave him at home!"

On a more serious note, he added: "I don’t think it’s related to that. I don’t believe in this kind of stuff.

"I’ve worked with Laurent already 12 and 13 years ago, and I think he has come a long way, I have come a long way, and he does take care of us with Mattia not being here.

"I think he’s a capable guy and as I said, it’s not only down to him or down to Mattia, in the end, it’s a team effort."

Recognising the power of everybody pulling in the same direction, Vettel said: "There are so many people, so many different links that have to come together to have a good weekend.

"Obviously, we benefitted from the conditions [in Turkey], probably the surface and also the wet conditions, but we hope to have good races at the next three."

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