Ferrari

Binotto cautious of Racing Point threat

Sam Hall Thursday 27 February 2020 19:19

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto admits that he is concerned about the strong pace shown by Racing Point in pre-season testing as the two teams ran near identical race simulations on Thursday in Barcelona.

The heavily Mercedes inspired Racing Point RP20 has been a consistent front runner in pre-season testing and the Ferrari boss admits that the times have caught his attention.

“They are certainly very close,” Binotto told Sky Sports F1. “I think it’s not surprising if you look at the shape of the car.

“Certainly they are a threat, but I am convinced as well that Ferrari as a team is strong enough to develop the car from now onward and to make sure that in the future we will be strong enough not to be threatened.”

Sebastian Vettel set Ferrari's fastest time of pre-season testing on Thursday with a 1:16.841, but this time is still over a second slower than the flying lap of Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes.

Mercedes in trouble as Ferrari go fastestFerrari fastest on Thursday in BarcelonaRead more

Unfortunately for Ferrari fans, Binotto is not expecting any leaps forward in pace ahead of the season opening Australian Grand Prix on March 15.

“Honestly I don’t think so,” Binotto continued. “We know what we are doing and we know if we’ve got margin or not. If you look at the race simulation pace, it’s true that today Hamilton had an issue, but if you have a look at the initial stint the speed he’s got is quite impressive.”

Latest News

F1 Social

Ricciardo sends fans CRAZY with official announcement

27 minutes ago

F1 Social

Hamilton ABSENT as Mercedes announce driver release

1 hour ago

F1 Legends

STUNNING Vettel comeback compounds F1 champion's misery

2 hours ago

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes ‘give up’ on Hamilton after TORRID F1 season

3 hours ago

Latest F1 News

FIA chief ‘FIRED’ as presidential crisis deepens

Today 18:12

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Major Hamilton Ferrari update emerges as F1 rocked by SHOCK resignation

Today 16:35

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP MONACO 24 - 26 May

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

Binotto cautious of Racing Point threat

Binotto cautious of Racing Point threat