Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has praised Charles Leclerc’s team spirit after he stayed back for the Monaco GP.
Leclerc’s dream weekend at Monaco was shattered after he was sidelined from the race. A gearbox failure ended his race before it even began. As a result, he had some hours to kill. He could have spent it however he wanted.
The Ferrari driver could have gone home, attended a party, or anything. Instead, he chose to stay and cheer his team on. He was the hype man for teammate and sole Ferrari Carlos Sainz, who delivered for the team with a massive P2.
Leclerc celebrated the result, joining the team at the podium to celebrate Sainz’s achievement. Seeing this, Binotto was full of praise for the youngster’s attitude. He attributed it to a strong sense of team spirit and camaraderie at the Ferrari camp.
“I think very positive (sic) is Charles being under the podium,” Binotto said.
“It was him showing that he was there to celebrate with Carlos, and celebrating with the team as well. I think that’s very positive, because he’s showing the team spirit we’ve got at the moment.
“We all believe in our project, and we are all convinced that in the future we will become stronger and stronger,” he concluded.
On to the next one for Leclerc
Ferrari had both their cars in the top 5, so Monaco was a fantastic opportunity to grab some big points. Unfortunately, their hopes were dented with Leclerc’s early retirement. Nevertheless, Sainz’ P2 meant they got enough points to be happy about. This also meant they continue to pile the pressure on McLaren.
Binotto talked about the positives taken from Monaco, saying, “I think there is overall, a lot of positives from the weekend. Our first performance of the car here in Monaco. The car was performing well since Thursday, in all sessions. I think that’s certainly positive considering where we were in the past.”
“It shows that the car and the team is developing in the right direction. It is also very positive for Carlos, his first podium with Ferrari.”
Ferrari and its drivers head to Baku in Azerbaijan next weekend for the sixth race of the season. Ferrari’s current run of form is incredible, and they will look to add to it in the coming races.
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