Breaking news
Formula 1 Belgian GP
Ferrari "disappointed and angry" about Belgian GP showing
Ferrari was left "disappointed and angry" by its display in Sunday's Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix after failing to score any points, according to team principal Mattia Binotto.
Luke Smith
Edited: Aug 30, 2020, 6:59 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
After slumping to its worst qualifying result of the season so far on Saturday, Ferrari's struggles continued into the race at Spa as both Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel finished outside of the top 10.
Leclerc ran as high as eighth in the opening stages after making a good start, but quickly fell down the order as Ferrari's lack of straight-line speed left him powerless to keep cars behind.
Leclerc had two slow pitstops, with the second dropping him to last place after Ferrari had to top up the pneumatic pressure on his power unit.
Leclerc recovered to 14th at the finish, crossing the line two seconds behind teammate Vettel, who did not spend a single lap of the race inside the top 10.
Ferrari F1 chief Binotto said the team was "severely lacking" in both aerodynamic efficiency and power at Spa, noting it as a difficult point in a trying year.
"We are disappointed and angry, as indeed are our fans and with good reason," Binotto said.
"It's a difficult moment in a season that we knew from the start would be a tough one, but it's at times like this that we need to stand firm and look ahead in order to get over this difficult period.
"It's the only way we will get out of this situation."
Read Also:
- Wolff: Ferrari must question decisions by "certain members"
- Binotto: Ferrari's tyre struggles at Spa a one-off
Leclerc explained after the race that Ferrari was so far down on power that he even struggled to overtake when using DRS on the Kemmel Straight.
"It was extremely frustrating, as it has been a very difficult weekend for us," Leclerc said.
"The race was not any easier as we've had issues on the two pit stops that we made, which made me lose quite a lot of lap time and positions.
"I tried to catch back up, but it is very difficult for us to overtake, even with the DRS.
"We need to work and find something because like this it is very difficult."
Vettel said that while he hoped the issues would prove to be "Spa-specific", Ferrari had to remain realistic of its chances heading to its two home races in Italy at Monza and Mugello next month.
"We have to work hard, as there are a lot of lessons this weekend, so we have to make sure we stay strong, stay together and do the best that we can," Vettel said.
"We have two important races coming up for the team in the next two weeks so that is where we focus, but we also have to be realistic as we cannot expect miracles.
"The package is what it is, we are not as strong as we would like to be, so we need to stay optimistic and see the good things, even if at the minute there are not many."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Verstappen: Managing tyres made Belgian GP "boring"
Next article Binotto: Ferrari in the middle of a storm, but no crisis
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Scuderia Ferrari
Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia: From kings to princes
MotoGP
MotoGP
Charles Leclerc and Pecco Bagnaia: From kings to princes
Sainz blasts "most unfair penalty ever", seeks stewards' explanation
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Sainz blasts "most unfair penalty ever", seeks stewards' explanation
Calado: "Difficult" for WEC Hypercar newcomers "to win straight off"
WEC
WEC
Calado: "Difficult" for WEC Hypercar newcomers "to win straight off"
Latest news
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
34 min
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
1 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe