"Right decisions were made but in your dreams; Sign of poor leadership"- Fans react to Mattia Binotto's 'strategy not Ferrari's weakness' remarks

Despite having arguably the fastest car on the grid, Ferrari had a bumpy first half of the season; having lost significant championship points to pure strategic errors and misjudgements. Team boss Mattia Binotto, however, does not seem to think that strategy is a weakness for Ferrari. Suggesting that the 52-year-old be fired from his role in the team, fans frustratingly question his leadership style.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, the Italian reflected on all that has gone wrong throughout the season so far, emphasizing that the team has collectively made "the right decisions":

“I have no doubt we always need to take steps forward, we need to improve on aerodynamics, chassis, power unit, strategy and all the aspects that can be improved. Having said that, I think I have a great team that takes care of the strategy and I don’t think that’s a weakness of ours. Races like Monaco, Silverstone or Paul Ricard have been judged problematic on this front, but I don’t see the team as a problem because I think we have also made the right decisions.”

“I’m not convinced what we did was wrong, I think we made what were the right decisions at the time they were made, and sometimes they turned out to be unfortunate, not wrong. And if we look at the work of our strategy team, sometimes they even did great things, better than the opponents. For example, in Austria we had the right strategy, unlike our opponents, just as we had probably the best strategy in France before Charles’ mistake. At Paul Ricard we had the courage to take two sets of medium tyres into the race, and to make a choice like that you have to be not only good but also brave. So, overall, we have a good team and I don’t think this is a weakness. We could start discussing, again, Monaco, Silverstone and Paul Ricard – from my point of view I think they were difficult decisions, maybe unfortunate but not always wrong. So I don’t think it’s our weakness at the moment.”

Fans react to Mattia Binotto's comments

"We just have to live with the pressure", says Ferrari boss

Ferrari is one of the most iconic brands in the world, especially when it comes to motorsport. As the oldest and most successful team in F1, there is a certain standard set by the Prancing Horse, resulting in pressure and high expectations.

Mattia Binotto spoke about dealing with such pressure:

“Our goal was to be competitive again, and be competitive for the whole season. We started well, and so far we have remained competitive thanks to a good job of developing the car. So up to now we are achieving what were the initial goals.”

“The pressure… well, if you are Ferrari there will always be, it is something we cannot change because it is part of what this brand represents in terms of history, and it is obvious that there are always high expectations. We just have to live with the pressure, because it will never go away. And I think that this aspect is also part of a team’s ability to leave the pressure on the outside and stay focused.”

Ferrari currently stands second in the constructors' standings with 334 points to their name.