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Binotto underlines importance of converting poles into wins

Binotto underlines importance of "converting poles into wins"

22-10-2019 13:12
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has stressed the importance of converting pole positions into race wins, as his team have taken all five poles since the summer break but only managed to win three of those races, with Mercedes coming back to win the last to Grands Prix.

The Italian's side has already lost out on both championships this season, as the prancing horse is still looking for its first title since the 2008 constructors' championship.

However, they have seen a major uptick in performance since the summer break, winning three straight races while grabbing all five pole positions available since the summer.

Still, as the last two Grand Prix weekends in Russia and Japan ended in Mercedes victory, Ferrari need to get back to winning ways, as Binotto stresses the importance of not only getting pole position, but also converting it into maximum points on Sunday.

“After two races in which we could have done better, we arrive in Mexico determined to win," the 49-year-old admited. 

"We will be aiming for our sixth consecutive pole, before looking to convert that into a victory."

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez brings a lot of challenges to both drivers as well as mechanics, with the track itself as well as the conditions around it making for one of the hardest weekends in terms of set-up.

"The Mexican track has plenty of elements that can catch you out, some of these linked to the fact we are racing at over 2000 metres above sea level. That makes fine tuning the settings on both the chassis and Power Unit side particularly complex, as the requirements are very specific to this track.

"The circuit features a variety of corner types as well as long straights on which, year after year, the record relating to top speeds has been beaten. The necessary compromise between having good top speed and sufficient downforce in the corners dictates the aero settings with which we will take to the track.”