Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has responded to claims Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc do not have equal machinery, insisting the suggestions are unfounded.
While Leclerc bagged a solid haul of points with a fourth place finish at the Portuguese Grand Prix, Vettel was once again left in his team-mate’s shadow.
The German said Leclerc was in “another league” after qualifying 11 places lower than the Monegasque, and had no explanation as to why the gap was so big.
Vettel has only managed to score 18 of Ferrari’s 93 points this season, finishing no higher than sixth, leading to theories his car is not identical to Leclerc’s.
But Binotto was quick to rubbish talk that its drivers don’t have equal cars, hoping Vettel can contribute to the team’s points tally in the remaining races.
“Seb and Charles’ cars are identical, no doubt,” Binotto told Sky Italia. “I sincerely hope that Sebastian will be able to qualify better in Imola, and show more of what he is capable of during the race.
“Charles is certainly very good, but maybe you expect even more from the second driver.”
Vettel was clear there is “nothing more” he can get out of the SF1000, with a lack of confidence in the cars handling the catalyst for his ongoing struggles in 2020.
The four-time world champion has only scored two points in the last six races, hurting Ferrari’s chances of a late surge in the battle for third in the constructors’ standings despite its recent progress.
Speaking to RTL after the race, Vettel acknowledged Leclerc is having an easier time extracting performance out of the car, but doesn’t understand where he is losing time.
“On the one hand, I’m satisfied because I had the feeling that I drove a good race,” Vettel said. “I had a hard time at the beginning, lost places, and almost lost the car two or three times. After that I actually drove a good race.
“But, on the other hand, it is obvious that the other car is much faster. Where I lose time? I have been biting my tongue all year long. Some idiot might never figure it out, but am I a complete idiot? I doubt it.
“At some point you should be lucky and hit the limit. I never hit it and if I do, then only with a lot of difficulty. On the other side [of the garage] it looks much easier.
“I have to look at myself and do my thing, but of course it hurts. Especially because my own expectations are higher than the expectations from outside.
“I don’t really care about all the fuss. But for me in the car, it is of course difficult to process, because I am too ambitious and too hungry for more.”
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