Michael Massey was fired after a controversial decision in December. Mattia Binotto backed Ferrari chief Michael Massi after a controversial decision he made under heavy pressure in December to attack Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. The team bosses of Red Bull and Mercedes have been embroiled in a story in which Wolff and his men recalled the way the result of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix came.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto: “Certainly, I think when you make decisions like that you are always under a lot of pressure in the heat of battle”
He drives the whole race
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – two star drivers at Mercedes and Red Bull respectively – entered the season finale in the UAE with equal points in December. Hamilton led Verstappen by 10 seconds with just five laps out of a potential 58, which is an impressive lead from the Briton who drove the entire race. But when Nicholas Latifi crashed on lap 53, a safety car was released, allowing Verstappen to dig for new tires and advance towards Hamilton.
“You are always under a lot of pressure”
Despite the safety car, which allowed the Dutchman to reduce the lead significantly, there were still five cars between the two, with Hamilton completing the quintet. But Massey’s decision to allow Verstappen to overtake Hamilton and eventually beat him on his new tires was met with outrage, despite Ferrari boss Binotto’s sympathy over the crash. “Certainly, I think when you make decisions like that you are always under a lot of pressure in the heat of battle,” said the Swiss-born Italian.
Reliance on the FIA
“I think that goes for the FIA, for the teams, for everyone who works in that difficult environment. Because the pressure is definitely very high.” The communication between the teams with the race director certainly did not help. So in general the situation was not clear. It was a tough decision to make and I think we should all rely completely on the FIA for its independence and ability to make the right decision going forward. In this regard, we can’t help but support it, so we at Ferrari certainly support the decision of its new president (Ben Sulayem, editor) and the entire FIA. I think we will definitely continue to work with the FIA and fight together for a better future for our racing.”
The new season begins on March 20 in Bahrain.
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