Ferrari reveal one call it managed to get right in Monaco

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes the fact both cars were fully prepared for the race start despite the chaotic delays in Monaco proves the team has the capacity to make the correct calls.

The Scuderia endured a miserable day in the principality, throwing away an almost certain one-two finish when being out-strategised by Red Bull during the crossover between wet and dry tyres.

The choices made by the strategy team have been heavily scrutinised in the aftermath but Binotto has praised his squad for their response to the confusion triggered by the FIA's "strange" decision to delay the race.

"I can only say that as a team we were fully prepared on the grid," said Binotto. "We had our extreme-wet tyres fitted on the cars on time, so at the time we were in a good position.

"It's good for the team to show we were organised, that we had some great capacity as well, and sometimes we are taking the right decisions.

"Unfortunately, race control decided to postpone further the start of the race. Why they did that? Not clear to me. We should ask them the reason why."

Ferrari explain double-stack

A pivotal moment for Charles Leclerc's race was when he was instructed to double-stack behind Carlos Sainz after already making a pit stop for intermediate tyres.

Explaining the decision to pit both cars simultaneously, Binotto added: "We did that at that time because we knew the hard tyres were significantly faster and we believed it would have been a good opportunity for us to undercut the Red Bull.

"So an opposite situation to when they first pitted onto the intermediate and tried to undercut us, then we did the same with the dry."

Sainz skipped a switch to intermediates after pleading with the team to stay on extreme wets until a crossover to slicks was possible and in doing so was able to jump his team-mate.

Detailing the process of deciding his strategy, Sainz explained: "The problem is that around Monaco, the conversations become very difficult with the concentration and the little space there is to talk.

"It was a huge challenge to have all these conversations but the important thing is by the time everyone started pitting for inters, and they were telling me that everyone on inters was very quick, for me we were not very far off from slicks.

"So it was worth...not taking a gamble because it was not a gamble, it is Monaco, it is difficult to pass, but to make sure we waited until the slicks to pit and save a pit stop.

"I was trying to transmit to the team that this was my feeling, my intention and this is what I thought was the right call.

"I could calculate more or less the way that Perez was catching me and I figured out that by the time he was going to catch me it was going to be time to put the slicks on so I was in the outright lead of the race.

"I think it was the right call, the right way of thinking and the right way of approaching such a complicated race."

Additional reporting by Ian Parkes

Related

F1 Superstars

Ferrari star SLAMMED with bizarre 'puppy' reference

• November 20, 2024 22:57

Ferrari

Leclerc 'set' for NEW Ferrari role from 2025

• November 20, 2024 13:59