“The potential was there to bring home more points” – Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto

Scuderia Ferrari have all but sealed third place in the Constructors standings, after Charles Leclerc finished seventh and Carlos Sainz Jr eighth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

It was a solid display by the Prancing Horses, both Leclerc and Sainz performed well to bring home yet more points for the team, with Sainz putting on an impressive attacking display having started fifteenth.

The race could’ve gone very differently for the team however, Leclerc was lucky to finish the race after tangling with Sergio Pérez during the restart after the races first red flag. The collision saw Pérez spin across half the circuit’s width, causing mayhem and further collisions behind, resulting in a second red flag of the race. Leclerc survived, Péred didn’t. Neither were at fault though, there just wasn’t enough room for the drivers at the time.

Had it not been for the red flags Ferrari may have had both drivers in the top six, both Leclerc and Sainz had strong pace and could’ve easily finished higher up had it not been for the multiple stoppages.

Team Principal Mattia Binotto is glad the team have all but secured third in the standings but does think more was possible from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

“Today, the potential was there to bring home more points than we did. The many incidents in this Grand Prix did not play out in our favour, but the performance level of the team and the car was clear to see.

“Now we head to Abu Dhabi with a comfortable lead over McLaren in the fight for third place in the Constructors’ championship, while Charles has moved up to fifth in the Drivers’ standings. We must continue to concentrate and prepare well for one final effort, before putting this season behind us and focussing solely on 2022.”