SM
Thursday, March 28
Upcoming predictions and previews

Italian press blasts 'weak' Vettel

:Headline: Italian press blasts 'weak' Vettel: ID:353803: from db_amp
Mattia Binotto says Ferrari is not panicking after a bad start to the 2019 season.

Mattia Binotto says Ferrari is not panicking after a bad start to the 2019 season.

The entire paddock was stunned in Melbourne to discover that, after the Maranello team's dominance of winter testing, Mercedes and also Red Bull-Honda were faster at the first race.

"We need to analyse what happened here in peace at the factory," new team boss Binotto said.

"I remain convinced that we have a good car. We haven't seen our true potential on a race weekend yet," he added.

The pressure is also mounting on the shoulders of 'number 1' Sebastian Vettel. Binotto confirmed that only a team order meant Charles Leclerc didn't pass him for fourth position.

"At that time we did not want to jeopardise the result we had. For us it made no sense for Charles to attack him," he said.

At one point, Vettel even asked his engineer on the radio: "Why are we so slow?"

La Gazzetta dello Sport said it was a "weak" performance by Vettel.

"Leclerc seems to have more energy and openly admits that he was told to stay behind in the final stages of the race," said the Italian sports daily.

But boss Binotto insists he is staying calm.

"This weekend was unexpected. We thought we could improve the balance over the weekend, but it didn't happen. Today I have no answer.

"But we stay calm because we believe in the potential of this car. We think this was an outlier that hopefully will not be repeated. Maybe it's a good lesson for us," he said.

Vettel is also confident Ferrari is still in the fight with Mercedes and Red Bull-Honda for the world championship.

"It was one race," said the German. "Mercedes is very strong and the rest are far behind, but it's a long year," he said.

amp_article__353803 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-18 09:14:16:
html db last update - 2021-03-05 05:56:16 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Sebastian Vettel

Click here for more stories about Mercedes

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .