27/11/2019
NEWS STORY
Though second place in the team standings is secure, it is unlikely that Charles Leclerc will overhaul Max Verstappen to claim third in the Drivers' Championship, the youngster currently 11 points adrift of the Red Bull driver.
Though Ferrari mounted an impressive revival after the summer break, a string of technical directives in recent weeks has cast doubt on the legality of its engine. Indeed, since the directives started flowing, Ferrari's performance, despite the constant denials, has noticeably dropped off.
With Mercedes having claimed a record six successive championship doubles, Mattia Binotto insists that being second isn't good enough for the Maranello team.
"Finishing second will never be good enough for Ferrari," said the Italian as he looked ahead to this weekend's season finale in Abu Dhabi, a circuit that has never really favoured his team, "and we are looking ahead to a very intense winter to keep building as a group.
"The aim is to come back stronger to be up to the challenges that await us," he added.
"Of course there were highs and lows," he admits, "the first part of the season did not go the way we wanted, but I certainly value the way we all stood together, rolled up our sleeves and fought back.
"Particularly noteworthy was the way we reacted after the summer break, with three race wins in a row and a run of six consecutive poles positions, as well as our win in Monza, just days after the incredible celebration of the 90 years of the Scuderia, in Milan, in front of a huge crowd."
Of course, other than the fuel flow issue, Binotto has to deal with two feuding drivers, having held 'clear the air' discussions with the pair following their Interlagos clash.
With virtually no regulation changes next season, Ferrari will be hard-pressed to fend off the ever-improving Red Bull-Honda challenge, far less mount an assault on Mercedes' dominance.