19/07/2020
NEWS STORY
Having previously criticised Binotto for his continued claims that his team's problems this season are down to aero as opposed to the need to 'revise' its power unit following last year's investigation by the FIA, Toto Wolff has laid into the Italian and his team once again.
Speaking on Friday, while admitting that his team's problems are more than just an aero problem and are related to the power unit, Binotto suggested that last year's technical directives from the FIA which kick-started the investigation - and the team's subsequent decline - were aimed at all the manufacturers.
"There are areas of the regulation of the power unit where maybe clarifications are still required," said Binotto. "It's an ongoing process which has always existed in the past and will exist in the future.
"Since last year a lot of TDs have been released," he added. "Eventually clarifying some of the areas in the regulations.
"Through those TDs we had to adapt ourselves," he continued, before adding: "I don't think it's only the case of Ferrari, because looking at the power output of this season, many others, most of the manufacturers somehow had to adapt themselves. But certainly as Ferrari we had to adapt and as a simple output of that, we lost some of the performance we had.
"I think that obviously now we have more clearer situation of some areas of the regulation. Hopefully that will continue, if required for the future."
"Another complete bullshit story... technical directives," a clearly frustrated Wolff told reporters. "There's a clear regulation on power units... there have been clarifications in Austin, what is allowed to do or not, which were important, but nothing that was in any way surprising because if you comply to the regulations that was anyway clear.
"The irony of the story is that we were pushed by some of our competitors to absolutely new levels," he continued. "It brought us to almost burn-out last year, to develop and innovate in a way to be competitive on track.
"We made a substantial jump in performance from 2019 to 2020, because we needed to last year, and that is a little bit ironic for me."
Referring to Binotto's claim that Ferrari is ready - and eager even - to sign a new Concorde Agreement but that others are not, Wolff, who has admitted he would be happy to see the current agreement extended, said: "I don't know why some of the other teams made those ridiculous commentary, that they're ready to sign and that it seems to be some competitors that are not.
"They make themselves a laughing stock with those comments in the public," he added. "Negotiations should be taking place behind closed doors, without running commentary from competitors.
"And in that respect, we're talking to Liberty, we are keen in staying in F1. There are some clauses which bother us a little bit, but nothing that can't be solved."
Check out our Race Day gallery from Budapest, here.