Binotto can't ignore it: "Ferrari are not as fast as last year"

Flashback 12 months and Ferrari were cruising high after an extremely positive pre-season testing. This year hasn't been as strong. Mattia Binotto admits that the car isn't as fast as last year after some fans and pundits question whether the Italians are hiding something. 

The SF1000 has more downforce to be able to compete with Mercedes and Red Bull Racing in turns. However, that means that a lot of speed has been lost.

“I think in terms of overall performance on the power and the engine, we are not as strong as we were last year. We were somehow focused on our reliability and that is somehow compromising eventually the performance. But the drag is significantly affecting the speed. I think when you look for better speed you need to look for the drag and the power of the engine itself. We will work on both items for the future no doubt," Binotto told Motorsport.com. 

Not as fast as Mercedes and Red Bull Racing

Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel both didn't seem too impressed by the new car. They may well struggle to compete against Mercedes and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing if things continue in Melbourne. 

“We are not hiding. That is our true performance. I think it's difficult to split on the streets what is drag and what is power, but certainly we we are down on speed compared to other competitors," he added.