Mattia Binotto has shut down suggestions that changes are needed at Ferrari after Charles Leclerc's hopes of victory in Hungary were dashed by a questionable strategy call. Leclerc was leading last weekend's race when a move from Medium tyres to Hards backfired and forced him into the pits again to bolt on Softs. It meant the Monegasque driver crossed the line in a disappointing sixth position, as teammate Carlos Sainz settled for fourth place. With Max Verstappen winning the race, the Dutchman now holds an 80-point championship lead over Leclerc, while Red Bull are 97 clear of Ferrari. Asked how Ferrari will respond to the drama, and whether it is simply down to misfortune, Binotto offered a calm response. "It's not a matter of bad luck and there's nothing to change as well," he told media, including RacingNews365.com . "I think it's always a matter of continuous learning, building experience and building skills. "[In the Hungarian GP] certainly there is something in which we need to look at and to understand why [it happened]."
Binotto keeps faith in Ferrari's potential
Ferrari started the 2022 season in perfect fashion with a 1-2 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as Red Bull hit reliability problems. After finishing second in Saudi Arabia and winning again in Australia, where Verstappen retired, Leclerc enjoyed a 46-point buffer over the reigning World Champion. But despite Ferrari continuing to show strong pace as the season developed, reliability issues of their own – and mistakes from Sainz and Leclerc – have cost them valuable points. Binotto, though, is taking the positives from Ferrari's raw speed and hopes the team will be able to cut the gap to Red Bull in the second half of the year. "If I look again at the balance of the first half of the season, there is no reason why we should change [anything]," he added. "I think we simply need to address what was wrong [in Hungary]; that we need first to understand and then to address and try to be back [to being] competitive. "It has been [the case] in 12 races so far, and [there's] no reason why it will not be the case at the next."
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