Breaking news
Formula 1 Spanish GP
Ferrari: Strong tyre management down to drivers, not car
Ferrari’s strong tyre management in recent races is down to its drivers and not a redeeming quality of its SF1000 Formula 1 car, according to team boss Mattia Binotto.
Luke Smith
Published: Aug 18, 2020, 4:02 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Sebastian Vettel pulled off a risky one-stop strategy by completing a 36-lap stint on the soft compound tyre to finish seventh in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, getting the jump on a number of two-stopping rivals.
It came just one week after teammate Charles Leclerc was able to finish fourth in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix thanks to a one-stop strategy despite fears of excessive tyre wear.
Ferrari has struggled for performance throughout this season with the SF1000 car, causing it to slump to fifth in the constructors’ standings after the opening six races. But Binotto said the impressive tyre management was a credit to Vettel and Leclerc, and not a particular strength of the car itself.
“I don’t think it is a strength of the car,” Binotto said. “If it’s any strength, it’s a strength of the drivers first, managing all the tyres, and the engineering group managing all the data. I think that’s it.”
Leclerc was also aiming to make a one-stop strategy work in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix before an electrical issue on his power unit forced him to retire from the race.
The Monegasque felt he had made a step forward in his tyre management skills compared to last season.
“I believe that I did quite a lot of improvement compared to last year in tyre management,” Leclerc said. “Whether the car is better for it or not [for tyres], I think the car is probably easier to manage during the race stints.
“The main target now is to improve the overall pace of the car.”
Read Also:
- Vettel: No need for Ferrari review of strategy calls
- Leclerc prevented from rejoining Spanish GP by engine issue
- Binotto "surprised" by suggestion of Vettel tension
Vettel had been running as low as 12th in Spain after making his first planned pit stop, and was initially set to come in again before finding that the soft tyres were better to race on than the mediums he used in his first stint.
“When we decided to come in Lap 29 because we didn’t think it was possible to go that long on a used set of soft tyres,” Vettel said. “I don’t think we could have extended the first stint, because I was struggling a lot with the tyres that I had. I had at the beginning of the race pressure from behind.
“We didn’t look after the tyres, and I had a worse feeling on the medium than I had on the softs. Probably starting on the soft would have been the nicer or the easier way to get further.
“With hindsight, we did quite a big amount of laps on the softs simply because I felt better on the soft than I did on the medium.”
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 Steiner takes Haas' dramatic form swing with “pinch of salt”
Next article Ferrari: Signing new Concorde Agreement offers F1 “growth”
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
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
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
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 9 h
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
11 h
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 11 h
Heart of Racing rules Valkyrie GTP step next year ‘too soon’ for IMSA standout Barrichello
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
11 h
Sergio Perez: Debut Cadillac season "without a doubt one of my best years"
Feature
Discover prime content
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