Binotto believes in his top driver: 'The next Ferrari champion'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
At the moment it is hard to imagine a Ferrari driver winning the Formula 1 world title anytime soon. The Italian pride is currently miles away from top teams Mercedes and Red Bull. Perhaps the changed regulations in 2022 will make Ferrari deliver a top car on the grid again.
Exceptional driver
One day Ferrari will come out on top. According to team boss Mattia Binotto, it is already clear who the next champion with Ferrari will be: Charles Leclerc. "We have invested in him for the long term because we are fully convinced that he will be the man who will become the next world champion," the Italian told GP Racing magazine. "He is really fast. Not just over one lap, but his ability to attack and defend in the race without putting a foot wrong is quite exceptional. I still remember the way he defended against Lewis at Monza in 2019 or Verstappen at Silverstone."
Binotto's statements are somewhat remarkable, as Ferrari always claims there is no ranking within the team. For the Italians, Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz would be equal. Binotto's praise shows that people seem to rank Leclerc higher after all. "Charles is very good at managing pressure. He is capable of winning because he has the winner's mentality that you need to lead a race. He's a fantastic talent."
Comparison with Schumacher
Furthermore, Leclerc's tyre management is fabulous, Binotto argues. "He has developed his sensitivity to the car and the tyres. That sets him apart from good drivers. If you have talent, you can get the most out of a car. That's how Michael (Schumacher) and Fernando (Alonso) did it too."