Binotto: "They can go free and there will be no number 1"

Ferrari had a controversial season when it came to prioritising their drivers, as Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc battled it out for the number one spot. Mattia Binotto has revealed there are no plans for the team to have a number one at the Australian Grand Prix.

After Leclerc joined Ferrari from Sauber, Vettel was expected to be the number one and he was indeed favoured at the opening race in Melbourne. However, as Leclerc started to prove himself the team had to start making some tough calls and the two drivers even clashed on track on occasions, Brazil a prime example.

With the pair on a level playing field, Binotto has revealed the plan is to not have a number one and explained why it was different last season.

"If we come to Australia, they can go free and there will be no number 1," Binotto said as quoted by Motorsport-Total.

"When we started the season, the situation was different. We had a rookie and an experienced driver on the team.

"It was not easy, just like China, where we swapped positions - it was probably not the right choice either."

"But I think we can be stronger next year. We now have meetings with the drivers before each race to discuss scenarios.