Charles Leclerc for the first time has reacted to the rumors and reports indicating a possible sacking of Mattia Binotto.
Ferrari was involved in a championship battle at the start of the season. However, after a strong start, the Scuderia stumbled and couldn’t gain momentum again.
Regardless, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari would be much more thankful for the way the championship ended. After a couple of disappointing rounds, Ferrari was able to bounce back when it mattered the most to secure P2 in both constructors’ and drivers’ championships.
Charles Leclerc came ahead of Sergio Perez to take P2 in Abu Dhabi signing off the 2022 season in a relatively high position. The signs still look positive for Ferrari next year. The Scuderia remains the closest competitor to Red Bull.
Regardless, earlier this month reports indicating a possible sacking of Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto emerged. The season was hugely affected by the strategic blunders made by the team and many think Binotto is to be blamed.
Leclerc comments on the reports
Ferrari has already defended Binotto once releasing a statement deeming the reports to be “without foundation”. Now, Charles Leclerc has also reacted on the reports, however, the Monegasque looked to avoid giving any specific comments:
“I’ve learned not to think about it and not to comment,” Leclerc told L’Equipe.
“But generally the best approach is for everyone to be on the same wavelength to make the right decisions together.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean changing people, but it’s about the way communication works between engineers, which needs to be clearer,” he added.
Leclerc was at one stage fighting for the championship. However, by the end of the 2022 season, the Monegasque almost even lost out to P2. Regardless, Leclerc will take a lot of experience from this season how it feels to be in a title challenge, and the pressure it brings.
We might again see a Max Verstappen vs Charles Leclerc in 2023. Although this time it might be more even till the end.
Binotto admits to making mistakes
Ferrari team principal Matti Binotto has admitted to making mistakes in the 2022 season that jeopardize their title challenge. However, he is hopeful the team made one right decision to switch focus to 2023 before rivals:
“Yes, we made mistakes, but you can hide that better if you have a fast and reliable car,” the Italian insisted.
“Red Bull had a clearer path because they only had to reduce the weight of the car,” Binotto added.
“For us it was more difficult because we had to improve the aerodynamic concept.
“Did we make the right decision with our priorities between 2022 and 2023? Only 2023 will tell us if it was the right decision.”
If the decision proves right or not, we will know that next season. For now, by the looks of it, Ferrari is still the second fastest car on the grid although no longer by a clear margin as Mercedes is catching up with them.
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