Binotto on Leclerc and Verstappen: "Those guys are very smart"

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are no longer the future of Formula 1, they are the present. As they did in Bahrain seven days ago, the two rivals battled hard during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and really set the tone for the 2022 Formula 1 season. Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto sees these two drivers at the top of their game. 

Duel for DRS

The Dutchman closed the gap in the final stages of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and looked to make an overtake on race leader Leclerc. The man from Monaco outsmarted Verstappen to let him overtake to get DRS going into turn one. Verstappen learnt his lesson the second time around and locked up before the activation point. Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto sees two drivers at the top of their game. 

"Those guys are very smart and have a lot of talent. He can fight with Max on that level. I think it's again very good for F1. It's a fantastic start to the season," Binotto told Sky Sports after the race.

Battle for the season

Christian Horner and Adrian Newey predicted that the fight will continue on the circuit and in the factory as big development gains can be made with the new rules and regulations. Binotto assesses the current set-up and wonders about how Red Bull were faster this weekend. 

"Red Bull has a lot of speed on the straights. We have been a bit faster with our compromise in the corners. There will be different tracks and I will be curious to see Melbourne with the new layout and curious to see Imola but overall it will be a great a battle. We decided to run more downforce for tyre degradation and it wasn't an issue for Red Bull. They took advantage from it," Binotto finished.