Breaking news
Formula 1 Austrian GP
Binotto: Ferrari won't appeal "wrong" Verstappen verdict
Ferrari will not appeal the outcome of the Formula 1 stewards' investigation into Max Verstappen's Austrian Grand Prix-winning move, despite believing the "wrong decision" was made.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Jul 1, 2019, 2:52 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Red Bull driver Verstappen made contact with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc while overtaking him for the lead at Turn 3 on the 69th lap of the 71-lap event, and went on to take the chequered flag in first place.
But Leclerc felt his rival had broken the rules in forcing him off the track, and Verstappen's win remained provisional for several hours as stewards investigated the incident.
They ultimately reached a "no further action" verdict, ruling that neither driver was predominantly to blame for the clash.
Speaking as the verdict was being announced, Ferrari F1 team boss Mattia Binotto said the Italian outfit did not agree with the ruling, but also stated that it was looking to move on from the situation "to support the sport".
"What's Ferrari's opinion and position - we still believe this is a wrong decision, that's our own opinion, we believe that Charles left the entire space, he had no fault, a collision has happened and he has been pushed and forced off the track," Binotto explained.
"We believe these are clear rules, which we may appreciate or not, and these are exactly the same rules which have been applied in past races.
"Having said that, we respect fully the decision of the stewards, they are the judge and we need to respect that, and more than that I think that as a Ferrari fan - and I'm an ultimate Ferrari fan - I think it's time for F1 to turn the page and to look ahead.
"As we often said, we should leave the drivers free to battle, so we may not be happy of the decision, we are not supporting the decision but somehow we understand the fact that we need to move forward, and overall I think that's good for the sport and good for F1."
Read Also:
- Verstappen keeps Austrian GP victory
- FIA explains why Verstappen decision took so long
- Verstappen: No point being in F1 if Leclerc move is punished
Ferrari was involved in a saga over Sebastian Vettel's Canadian Grand Prix penalty earlier this season, when the German lost victory to a controversial five-second penalty for rejoining the track unsafely.
The team initially notified the FIA of its intent to appeal the penalty, but then went the "right of review" route instead - only for the FIA stewards to dismiss its case two weeks later.
Asked this time whether Ferrari had any legal instruments to fight this latest stewards' decision, Binotto said: "There is. We can appeal. We may somehow have intention of appeal tonight, and [lodge an] appeal later on.
"But it's our decision not to do it, as I said, because we believe it's good for the sport."
Additional reporting by Roberto Chinchero
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 keeps Austrian GP victory
Next article FIA explains why Verstappen decision took so long
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
More from
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc summoned to stewards after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc summoned to stewards after F1 Brazilian GP
More from
Red Bull Racing
Max Verstappen explains why he’s so good in the rain in Brazil
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
14 h
Max Verstappen explains why he’s so good in the rain in Brazil
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
17 h
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Latest news
Frankie Muniz "a little sore," released from hospital after Daytona crash
General
Misc General 1 h
Frankie Muniz "a little sore," released from hospital after Daytona crash
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
General
Misc General 5 h
Frankie Muniz transported to hospital after Daytona practice crash
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 5 h
Ford unveils new Mustang body for 2027 NASCAR Cup season
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 9 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
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