"Playing poker was without risk"- Ferrari boss defends 2-pit-stop strategy at Italian GP

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto reckons that the team's 2-stop strategy at the Italian GP wasn't a wrong one.

Charles Leclerc was quick to jump into the pits during the first VSC (virtual safety car) period during the Italian GP, while everyone else stayed out. That means Leclerc was on a 2-stopper while everyone else stayed on a one-stopper. In the end, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was just too quick for Leclerc that Ferrari's two-stop strategy didn't make any difference.

Explaining why the two-stopper was not a bad idea, the Ferrari boss said that the team did not have the pace to beat Red Bull in a straight fight. He said:

“The Red Bull was the faster car. If we had gone up against him with the same strategy, we would never have beaten him. Two stops were basically not wrong because you never know what will happen later in the race. For us, playing poker was without risk.”

Binotto added that since the race in Hungary, Ferrari have lagged behind Red Bull in races due to quicker tyre degradation, hampering the team's chances of a better result. He said:

"Since the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Red Bull has been the better car. Not on Saturday but in the race. Our tyres degrade faster. They get a better balance than us, and we have to work hard to understand that.”

Michael Schmidt from AMuS wrote in his latest report that the team's development path has made it less competitive in races. Ferrari are trying to find where the problem is aerodynamically but haven't found a solution. Schmidt said:

“Ferrari can’t win anymore. It’s still enough for pole position but no longer for victory. The speed in the F1-75 is still there, but over the distance the red car eats its tyres. That puts all the trump cards in Max Verstappen’s hand."

He added that aerodynamics are the likely reason inhibiting Ferrari, which happened at Monza on Sunday too.

"Monza was no exception," Schmidt added. "Even if Charles Leclerc gave the Tifosi hope, it was deceptive. Ferrari suspect the aerodynamics – that the search for more downforce has reduced the working window and thus the scope for set-up”.

Leclerc came in second behind Verstappen as Ferrari's quest for a 'home' win continued.

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"The FIA was caught sleeping" - Ferrari boss

Mattia Binotto was not impressed with the way the safety car was handled towards the end of the Monza race.

He felt the race could have been restarted earlier, adding that the FIA was not prepared to tackle the situation as well as it should have. Binotto said:

"We don’t know how it would have ended, but it’s a shame. There were conditions to start the race a little earlier. There was no reason to wait. Today, the FIA was caught sleeping; maybe they are not ready to deal with these situations."

The Italian team has not won a race this season since Austria and do not look good to beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the moment.