Binotto: We developed the car in the wrong direction

In retrospect, the Reds were lulled into a false sense of security before Melbourne where Ferrari were caught lacking as well as flat-footed and have been chasing ever since.

Victory still eluding them this year, after seven rounds, despite the benefit of the best engine bolted to the back of the cars of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Binotto explained, "For a straightforward comparison in Barcelona between test and race, we were worse for one simple reason: We developed the car in the wrong direction because we misjudged the weaknesses and limitations of our package."

"Our vehicle concept does not work with the 2019 tyres. The car is not one of the best in terms of maximum downforce."

"Over the last two years, we have done well evolving our aero package, but it no longer works with these tyres. Because we lack downforce, we have difficulty warming up the tyres and keeping them in the window where they provide optimal grip."

In Canada, Vettel delivered a stellar lap to claim pole position at the power-hungry Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and looked good for victory until he made a mistake while leading.

Despite losing the race, tifosi might have been inspired by the fact that they had a package on par with, if not a little better than, Mercedes, but Binotto was not so sure, "We hadn't changed the car since Barcelona, ​​so we drove in Montreal with the same weaknesses and limitations as four weeks ago. Only the result was different."

The mystery of the disappearing horsepower between Barcelona in February testing and at the first race still lingers for the team chief, "If I look at the performance of all teams in the first race of the season, then we were where we all expected to be after testing. The only exception was Mercedes. So, it was not just us who did not deliver compared to them."

"It's always difficult to judge what a rival team is doing during testing. We delivered what we had during the winter tests, but Mercedes was a bit of a surprise in the first races."

The 'surprise' is likely to have come from the different directions taken by the two top teams when the new aero rules kicked in. Ferrari opting for a solution producing more outwash from the front wing, which at the time seemed the way to go.

So much so that in between tests Mercedes is said to have produced a similar solution but ditched it because they found that developing the concept during the 'arms-race' between rounds would be limited. Results show they were spot-on. Ferrari were not.

Teams tested the 2019-spec tyres in Abu Dhabi last year (old aero rules) and again during the two Barcelona test sessions, but Ferrari and other teams were still unable to predict how the new Pirelli tyres would behave under proper race-style conditions.

Binotto revealed, "In Abu Dhabi last year, the warm-up problem was masked by the hot weather and track layout. During the winter tests in Barcelona, we may have been misled by our good performance. If you think you are good against others, then you become kind of relaxed."

"We didn't treat it as the biggest problem we had. In retrospect, the tyre problem has hurt us the most. To a certain degree, every team has problems with the warm-up process, even with the softest compounds."

"Many complain about not finding the ideal operating window. The tyres also do not wear out, now there are only one-stop races and I think the show suffers. That should be sorted out for the benefit of F1."

"For us, there are two factors. First the tyres, of course, we can not influence that. What we can do is change the concept of our car."

"That means finding more downforce, something we cannot correct in one day. The process will take several weeks because we also have to make sure that all of our changes to aerodynamics are indeed heading in the right direction."

While the team at Maranello work around the clock to produce updates for their car, Binotto downplayed expectations, "Don't expect a B-version of our car for France. It'll take two or three upgrades before we're able to challenge Mercedes everywhere."

"The title is not the question right now. The priority is that we recognise the problem correctly and react to it in the best way so that we can regain our strength as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, pressure in Italy is at fever pitch, many pundits and journos declaring the season over for the Scuderia. Many question the ability of the engineer-turned-Ferrari-boss to run the sport's most famous team solo and have slammed both President John Elkann and CEO Louis Camilleri for their hands-off management style, accusing them of doing too little to support their homegrown team chief

"You can imagine that the pressure is high," acknowledged Binotto. "Everyone immediately expects answers, namely victories by us but we are so busy with our tasks that we barely perceive the pressure from the outside."

"From experience, I can say that stability and continuity are now the most important thing. It takes time to catch up. We can only do that if we focus on ourselves," added the Ferrari team chief whose team trail Mercedes by 123-points in the F1 constructors' standings ahead of Round 8 in France this weekend.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2019/06/06/binotto-we-need-to-hurry-but-it-will-take-a-few-weeks/