Mattia Binotto remains cautious about Scuderia Ferrari’s advantage over the McLaren F1 Team in the Constructors’ Championship despite seeing the team open up a thirty-one-and-a-half-point advantage over their rivals following the São Paulo Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished fifth and sixth at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace to score eighteen points in the Constructors’ Championship, while Sainz’s third place in Sprint Qualifying on Saturday gave the team an additional point. McLaren on the other hand only scored one point in Brazil thanks to Lando Norris’ tenth place on Sunday.
Binotto, the Team Principal at Ferrari, says it was pleasing for Ferrari to have had such a positive weekend in Brazil, but they cannot feel third place is a certainty despite the big gap over McLaren, especially with how some races have gone for each outfit this season.
“A good result in terms of the championship, given that we have doubled our lead over our closest rivals in the Constructors’ classification,” said Binotto. “Having said that, a 31.5 point lead doesn’t mean that it’s done and dusted, far from it.
“We know the situation can change in an instant and that our opponents are very strong.”
Binotto was delighted with the way the team worked together throughout the weekend in São Paulo, both trackside and back at their Maranello factory, and he hopes to see similar success across the final three races of the season, starting this weekend in Qatar.
“During what proved to be a busy weekend, the team, both at the track and back in Maranello, worked very hard and with great precision, tackling every situation with the right approach,” said Binotto. “Today, every aspect of the race was managed well – strategy, tyre management and pit stops – and the drivers produced a clean and effective performance.
“There are now just three races to go and we must continue in this fashion to reach what has become our goal for the end of season.“