How Ferrari's failed upgrades have helped them

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes that the team’s early upgrade failures in the 2019 season have actually helped them, as they are now more adept at investigating and identifying the problems with their car.

Both Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel have had more than one grand prix weekend hampered by car reliability issues, with the former losing out on what looked like a certain victory when he was forced to retire whilst leading the Bahrain Grand Prix after a supposed car upgrade.

Even though, at the time, these problems were obviously bemoaned by the Scuderia, with the French GP issues, for example, initially proving to be a mystery, Binotto says they have learned from them.

“We brought a floor that didn't work as expected, I think that since then we understand the reason, and somehow helped us now in being more accurate when delivering parts to the racetrack, and that's part of, let me say, the entire know-how of the team,” the Italian told Motorsport.com with regards to the French GP.

“Often I’ve said that we are still young as a team, because here people [have had] little time in the new role, and the know-how is something you build through the season, through the time, through the years.

“So that's why I'm very happy when problems may happen and we are addressing them - obviously in the meantime you are missing opportunities of performance, but I think the car is progressing, which is showing that the team is capable of delivering.”

Binotto has previously been praised by Vettel for bringing an atmosphere of calm to Ferrari, and the team boss himself has highlighted the importance of not overreacting to problems.

“I think that's why we need to stay calm, be focused and passionate, because it's only by staying passionate and looking at the future that eventually, in the mid-to-long-term, if you've done the right investments, you will be competitive,” Binotto added.

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