Mattia Binotto has denied that Charles Leclerc's French Grand Prix crash was caused by the throttle issues that had affected him at the previous event. Leclerc's championship aspirations were dealt a blow when the Ferrari driver crashed out from the lead of the French GP, effectively handing victory to championship rival Max Verstappen. Following the race, Leclerc confirmed that the crash had been down to his driving error, despite a radio outburst that mentioned the car's throttle. His radio message triggered theories that his Ferrari had suffered from similar issues which had previously threatened to derail his Austrian GP win.
Binotto reflects on Leclerc's "genuine mistake"
Speaking after the race, Ferrari Team Principal Binotto explained that Leclerc's problem was being unable to produce enough torque to reverse out of the barrier. "As far as I know there was no issues with the throttle itself, nothing to do with Austria," Binotto told media, including RacingNews365.com . "What happened is a genuine mistake of Charles, which we have seen that these things may happen. They don't take away from how good he is as a driver, but it was a genuine mistake. "What you heard on the radio was about when he was in reverse gear and trying to get out from the barriers. "There is a strategy, without going into the details, that somehow he was on the throttle and didn't feel sufficient torque from the engine."
Binotto backs Leclerc to "come back stronger"
Leclerc's error is his second high-profile mistake of the season. He had previously lost points at the Emilia Romagna GP after spinning late on in the race. When asked if he had any concerns about the errors creeping in to Leclerc's driving, Binotto backed his championship challenger to react positively at the next race in Hungary. "I think he was certainly driving at the limit, so these things may happen when you're driving to the limit," added Binotto. "Why has it happened? Is there anything else? We'll take our time with him to discuss and to judge. "At the moment, there is certainly no reason to blame him, and I'm pretty sure he will learn. "We have already seen that Charles reacts very strongly when he's made a mistake, and I'm pretty sure that it will be back stronger in Hungary."
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