Ferrari: Singapore "right time to let Vettel win" F1 race
F1 News
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes it was the correct decision to "let" Sebastian Vettel win in Singapore earlier this year, as the German took his only victory of the season under the floodlights at the Marina Bay Circuit after undercutting teammate Charles Leclerc.
After a very difficult first half of the season, Ferrari came out of the summer break all guns blazing. They took six consecutive pole positions from Belgium up until and including Mexico, winning three of those races.
Vettel's only win of the season came in Singapore, where the four-time champion started third but took the lead partly thanks to an undercut on Leclerc. This came much to the displeasure of the young Ferrari star, who was baffled at the team's decision.
Binotto still defends the decision, however, explaining it greatly boosted the confidence of Vettel among other things.
"In the first part of the season, he has been put under a lot of pressure," the 50-year-old told Autosport about his star driver.
"I think he reacted very well in the second half. The victory in Singapore has been key for him, not only for the victory itself but the trust in the team.
"He knew that he could count on the team for help, if necessary.
"But I think it was right, it was the right choice and time to let him win."
It would prove to be Ferrari's last win of the season, with a mix of technical failures (Russia) and personal mistakes (Japan) costing the Italian works team dearly in the final handful of races of 2019.