Ferrari: Mercedes simply did the best job

As Mercedes wrapped up an unprecedented sixth successive Constructors’ title, Mattia Binotto concedes the Brackley squad “simply did the best job” this season.

Mercedes claimed a 1-3 at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix which, coupled with Lewis Hamilton’s fastest lap point, meant they raced to an unassailable lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

Ferrari team boss Binotto has congratulated the Scuderia’s rivals.

“Congratulations from all of us to our rivals and friends for nailing another well-deserved Constructors’ Championship,” he said.

“Over the course of the season, they simply did the best job and that’s exactly what you need in this business.”

Sunday’s grand prix was a snapshot of Ferrari’s 2019 season and, locking out the front row in qualifying, it was clear they had the fastest and yet could not deliver in the race.

Pole sitter Sebastian Vettel made a mistake on the line, which allowed Valtteri Bottas to sweep through to lead, while Charles Leclerc crashed into Max Verstappen at Turn 2 and had to pit for a new front wing, turning his race into a recovery drive.

Binotto added: “For our part, I’d like to highlight a positive aspect, namely the performance of our car, which was good enough to secure the front row in qualifying this morning – an exceptional result here at Suzuka.

“As for the race itself, we are disappointed that we did not reap the rewards of what we had sown. A shame.

“The start compromised the rest of the race, although it has to be said that our rival’s pace was very strong and we suffered more than them with tyre degradation.

“We made mistakes and now we just have to look to ourselves to improve.”

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