"This double victory belongs to all of us": Ferrari team boss on joining his drivers for podium celebrations

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is someone who tends to keep himself out of the spotlight. However, after the first race of the season, where Ferrari achieved a "1-2" finish after almost three years, Binotto made it a point to visit the podium and celebrate with his drivers.

Speaking to Bild in an exclusive interview, he spoke about the symbolic importance of him visiting the podium. Explaining how he represented the entire team and not a specific department, he said:

"I don't usually go [up to the podium]; it's not my style. I thought about it a lot and ended up forcing myself to do it because I felt it was the best way to represent the whole team there. If we had chosen someone from the engine or aerodynamics department, for example, that would only have shown part of them. I wanted to show this double victory belongs to all of us!"

Charles Leclerc won the first race of the season for the team while teammate Carlos Sainz followed his teammate home in second place. It was a welcome change for the Italian team that had been all but exiled to the midfield for the last two seasons.

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Ferrari 1-2 a "great relief" for team boss Mattia Binotto

Binotto revealed how the result in Bahrain was very important for the team. The Italian unit knew it had a good car and the signs were there during the pre-season tests. However, the team suffered a similar shock in 2019 when the car appeared to be a gridbeater throughout pre-season testing, only for the team to find out that the car lacked downforce compared to the competition once the season got underway.

Keeping that in mind, the validation of the team's efforts with the results of the season-opener race was a relief for Binotto. Revealing how he had thought about visiting the podium a week before the race had even taken place, he said:

"I thought about it a week before the race and decided after the race. Everyone at Ferrari has been waiting for the new season and we've put a lot of work and passion into it. We knew we had a good car, but we didn't realize how good it was until after the race. It was a great relief for all of us."

Ferrari have scored double podiums in both races so far this year, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing 1-2 in Bahrain, and 2-3 in Saudi Arabia, respectively, and the team leads both the drivers and constructors championships.