Binotto: 'We wouldn't have beaten Verstappen, even in short sprintrace'

The decisions of the FIA during the Italian Grand Prix are once again the subject of discussion. The race ended behind the safety car, to the frustration of several teams. Charles Leclerc might have been able to fight Max Verstappen for victory, but the team bosses of the two drivers think that the Dutchman would have won at Monza either way.

Daniel Ricciardo caused a safety car in the closing stages of the race when he had to park his McLaren alongside the track. The FIA eventually decided not to restart the race as there was not enough time left. Several team bosses said after the race that the race committee could have acted faster to create an exciting ending. Only Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton were happy that the FIA had followed the rules, but the Mercedes team was suffering flashbacks to Abu Dhabi 2021.

The FIA did not want to take any risks and the rules did not allow for a red flag to be waved just a few laps before the end. When the track was finally cleared, there was no time left for the lapped drivers to overtake. Even Red Bull Racing would have liked to see a restart, even though Verstappen was comfortably in the lead.

Verstappen would also have won on the restart

"Max had fresh soft tyres, Leclerc only had used tyres. We would have won that way too", team principal Christian Horner is quoted by Auto, Motor und Sport. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto also agrees. "We would hardly have beaten Verstappen even in a short sprint race."

After the race, fans whistled and booed to announce they were not happy with the FIA's decision. Several drivers also said on the radio that they would have liked to see a restart.