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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto reckons a better start might have changed the fate of the race for Charles Leclerc at the Singapore GP on Sunday.
Leclerc was overtaken by eventual winner Sergio Perez of Red Bull at the start of the race to assume the race lead. The Ferrari driver tried to mount a challenge on both wet and slick tires, but Perez held on for a comfortable win, with Leclerc coming home in second.
Binotto said that a win for Leclerc was possible if the start had been better. He said:
“I think the start was not great. We lost position at the start, and that has affected the rest of the race. So had we had a better start, I think we would get a better result.”
Talking about the start, Binotto elaborated:
“On the start itself, I think Charles had a good reaction time. He went well in terms of procedures, but later on, he had too much wheelspin because there was too little grip. But we’ll review it, as that affected the rest of the race. I think then finishing second and third overall is still a good result. If we look in terms of the Constructors’ Championship, it has been a good weekend.”
Leclerc too admitted after the race that a better start would have bolstered his chances of a win. He said:
"Our pace was really good today, so it's a shame to finish second. We had some wheel spin at the start and didn't get away as well as Checo (Perez). That put us on the back foot. I pushed to put pressure on Checo, but my front tyres got a bit too warm, and he started pulling away. As I've already said, I want to use these last races to improve our execution of races, and I think that we made a step in the right direction today."
Leclerc (237) remains second in the driver standings, trailing leader Max Verstappen (341) by over 100 points.
The weekend was positive for us - Ferrari
Mattia Binotto feels Ferrari should be happy with the weekend, as the team was able to address a few issues.
Ferrari had been struggling with a lack of race pace in the last few races, but that was not the case in Singapore, as Leclerc kept the heat on Perez throughout the race. Binotto said:
“I think, overall, the car was working well on the wet, on the dry, yesterday in qualy and today in the race – we can be satisfied because looking back at Spa or Zandvoort, it was more difficult. So I think we have addressed some of the issues we had. At the end, we had been fast on dry when we switched to slicks. We had been brave to be the first switching to slicks between us and Checo (Perez). I think we went well on the wets and on the dries, and I think that’s the most positive of the weekend.”
Ferrari (439) have extended their championship lead to Mercedes to 66 points now. With just five races left in the season, it will be interesting to see if they can finish P2.
