For a team of the caliber of Ferrari, P4 and P5 is not something they aspire for. But after a turbulent 2020 F1 season, Ferrari is attempting to make it to the top again with Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc managed to run at P2 after the restart in Imola, but it has come to light that he did so without team radio to assist him.
Team radios were the topic of conversation this F1 season at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Perez had a collision with Ocon during FP1 due to absence of a radio. Leclerc also faced hindrances because of having no radio after the restart.
Team principal Mattia Binotto, in a statement said, “When Charles was behind Verstappen, he did not have the radio. So he was speaking with us, but we didn’t manage to speak with him.
“And Charles in that situation was distracted from the radio, he knew he couldn’t communicate with us, he didn’t even know it was a rolling start, he thought the race restarted from the grid.”
One can only wonder what could have happened if Leclerc had taken the lead after Verstappen spun. However, he was able to follow Max’s lead.
“Then he noticed that when they were going. But for a driver these are all conditions that make things even more complicated in an already difficult moment,” Binotto said.
Binotto also feels that had the race not been red flagged, they were on route to grab the podium. However, he was still happy with their performance.
“Without the red flag, we are sure that our potential could have led us also to a better result. And so seeing a disappointed and a bitter team is a positive sign, because the mentality is to win. This is a good sign.”
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