Binotto praises Leclerc on the podium in Monaco

Ferrari Formula 1 team boss Mattia Binotto praised the way Charles Leclerc stayed at the Monaco Grand Prix and then cheered on Carlos Sainz’s podium finish.

Leclerc had an extremely disappointing day of racing in Monaco when a drive shaft hub failure on the way to the starting grid meant that he could not take his pole position.

But instead of using the difficult situation as an excuse to leave early, Leclerc stayed with Ferrari to watch the race – and even stepped onto the podium to celebrate teammate Sainz’s second place behind Max Verstappen.

Binotto believed that Leclerc’s behavior was instrumental in how strong the team spirit was at Maranello after a difficult 2020 campaign.

“I think very positively that Charles is on the podium,” said Binotto. “I think he showed that he was there to celebrate with Carlos and also with the team.

“I think that’s very positive because it shows the team spirit we have at the moment. We all believe in our project and are all convinced that we will get stronger and stronger in the future. “

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Despite a weekend where Ferrari missed a big opportunity and Leclerc was unable to start, the team said there were plenty of reasons to be optimistic about how things were going in Monte Carlo.

Binotto added: “Overall I think there are many positive results from the weekend, our first performance by the car here in Monaco.

“The car has shown a good performance in all sessions since Thursday and I think that’s certainly a good thing considering where we’ve been in the past.

“It shows that the car and the team are developing in the right direction. It’s also very positive for Carlos, his first podium with Ferrari.

“Carlos has been doing very well since the beginning of the season, he is integrating into the team, gaining confidence in the car and I think he really deserves his first podium with us. I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last and that he will get more in the future. “

Sainz’s runner-up in Monaco was his first Ferrari podium and only his second in F1 after being classified third at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton received a post-race penalty.