Binotto downplays Mercedes' 'comeback': "Seven tenths off the pace"

Mattia Binotto thinks people should not get too carried away by Mercedes' recovery at the Spanish Grand Prix, as the German racing stable is still far behind its rivals in terms of pace.

Ferrari came with a big update in Barcelona but didn't manage to get everything out of it in the end due to Charles Leclerc's retirement. Mercedes also brought a sizeable package and because of that, the W13 seemed to have made some big steps forward.

Where Toto Wolff immediately dreamed of championships again, Binotto tempers the expectations. "They were seven tenths off the pace in the qualifying lap, on what is still a short circuit," said the Ferrari team boss in conversation with Sky Sports.

In the race, too, he noted that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could not keep up with the pace. "They finished thirty seconds or more from Red Bull, which could have been maybe forty seconds with Charles," he continued.

"Forty seconds over 66 laps is still six, seven-tenths per lap," emphasizes Binotto, who calls that difference "significant". "It's like Ferrari last year."