F1 News
Binotto respectfully disagrees with FIA ruling on Vettel penalty
Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has revealed he disagreed with the stewards' decision to penalise Sebastian Vettel during the Canadian Grand Prix, but the Italian also said he respects the decision while having "a different opinion".
Vettel led the Grand Prix after taking pole position on Saturday, and the 31-year-old looked in control of the race as it progressed.
However, when Lewis Hamilton started applying more pressure on the four-time champion, he made a mistake. He got his lines all wrong at turn 4 and went onto the grass, with his SF90 out of control as he rejoined the track right in front of Hamilton. The Brit was forced to brake hard to avoid a collision, and Vettel was controversially awarded a five-second penalty for the incident. Vettel still crossed the line first, but with the penalty, Hamilton eventually won the race.
"For us the moral winner is Seb," Binotto was quoted by FormulaPassion after the race.
"He crossed the finish line in front of everyone, that's important. Just listen to the crowd and look around. We are not the ones who decide, there are people who have to do it, but I believe we can have a different opinion.
"We deserved more in the official result, really, but we return home with the conviction of having been winners.“
Looking at the race overall, Binotto was happy with his team's performance on the day and during the entire weekend, as Ferrari proved to be the quickest team at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
"It was a good weekend, after yesterday's pole and a good race today. We showed we can be competitive, which is important. We're going home more motivated than before now. We know there are still many races to show our worth and we want to return to winning, although we know it will be hard."
On a positive note, Canada was the first time this season both Ferrari drivers climbed the podium. That's a good sign for the Scuderia.
