Binotto Plans Ferrari Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Russian Grand Prix - Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia - September 27, 2019 Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto during practice REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Russian Grand Prix - Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia - September 27, 2019 Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto during practice REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
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Binotto Plans Ferrari Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Russian Grand Prix - Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia - September 27, 2019 Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto during practice REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 - Russian Grand Prix - Sochi Autodrom, Sochi, Russia - September 27, 2019 Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto during practice REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Ferrari team chief Mattia Binotto plans to use Formula One’s mini-break before the British Grand Prix next month to analyze and overhaul his team's operations after a poor start to the delayed season.

The Italian said the season had got off to a "worse than expected" start and has ordered an intensive effort to find solutions.

Speaking after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, where four-time champion Sebastian Vettel finished sixth and Charles Leclerc was 11th, Binotto said he had not been surprised after realizing at pre-season testing that the SF1000 car was slower than hoped.

Leclerc has 18 points from three races, already significantly behind Lewis Hamilton's leading 63-point haul, while Vettel has just nine.

"I think we saw in Barcelona that we were not fast enough, but I think we were not expecting such a difficult situation -- it's certainly worse compared to expectations.

"We've got a couple of weeks before Silverstone. It will be important for us back in Maranello to consider all the aspects of the car, in our organization, whatever needs to be improved.

“We need a clear analysis of the overall performance of the car, of the team, and to really address it as soon as possible.

“We don't need to work more, we need to work better.

“How to do that will be part of our analysis."

He said that a raft of updates for the car ushered in for the Hungarian race had not made much real difference to performance.

"The deficit at the moment is still there,” he said. “We are lacking speed on the straights, we are lacking speed in cornering.

"Overall, the car has to be improved in all areas. It's as simple as that."



Real Boss Ancelotti Rues Missed Chances in 4-0 Loss against Barca

 Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti looks from the bench before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti looks from the bench before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)
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Real Boss Ancelotti Rues Missed Chances in 4-0 Loss against Barca

 Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti looks from the bench before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)
Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti looks from the bench before a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti lamented his side's missed opportunities in their stunning 4-0 home defeat to bitter rivals Barcelona in a LaLiga Clasico on Saturday but said it was not all doom and gloom despite the result.

"It was an evenly played match, until they scored their first goal. We played with intensity in the first half but lacked a bit of accuracy. We had chances to take the lead but they scored two goals, which sapped our energy. That's when another game started," Ancelotti told a press conference of Robert Lewandowski's quick-fire double early in the second-half to set the LaLiga leaders Barca on course for a 4-0 thrashing.

Prior to that, the home side had dominated possession and missed various chances, mainly through off-form Kylian Mbappe. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha wrapped Barca's win later.

"We are hurt, it's a tough moment, but I want to thank the fans for their support. We don't have to throw everything away, because there is nothing to throw away," added a downhearted Ancelotti.

"We have to forget the last 30 minutes. The season is very long, we must not give up. We have to learn from it. It's time to bounce back. The season is long. We must not throw everything away. The team can do better and we will."

Ancelotti said he thinks Real Madrid deserved better and that he didn't believe the result told the true story of the match, but acknowledged that his team paid the price for missing so many chances.

"The result doesn't reflect what happened on the pitch. We couldn't take the lead and they went ahead and took it. The game, until the first goal, was very even and we had more chances," Ancelotti said, before commenting on Mbappe's lackluster performance, being caught offside nine times.

"It was known that Barca use a high defense and we barely took advantage of it. (Mbappe) had chances and sometimes was offside, but he had three or four chances where he needed to be more accurate..."

Barca stretched their lead at the top with 30 points, six above Real who saw their 42-game unbeaten LaLiga run come to a bitter end after 13 months, leaving them one tantalizing positive result away from equaling the Catalans' league record of 43.