Share

Ferrari admit feud for thought with Vettel and Leclerc

Sochi - Ferrari team chief Mattia Binotto admitted his team have to be more precise with their pre-race instructions to their drivers following a radio feud over team orders in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc started from pole position and gave Sebastian Vettel a slip-steam that saw the German take the lead -- and then refuse to give it back to the Monegasque.

When the four-time champion pulled up and retired with an engine failure on lap 28, causing deployment of a Safety Car intervention, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton grabbed the lead and went on to score the 82nd victory of his career.

"We had asked Charles to grant Seb the slip-stream because it was the best scenario to be first and second at the first corner," said Binotto.

"But maybe we have to be more precise before the races. We will talk to them to review what happened at the start."

Leclerc complained vigorously on the team radio as Vettel pulled clear and made it virtually impossible for them to swap positions as they sought to take advantage of running on soft tyres while Mercedes were on mediums in the opening laps.

"After today we will be even more aggressive," added Binotto.

"This third place hurts us also because is the result of our mistakes."

Leclerc finished third behind Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Binotto added that he had no issues about Vettel's decision to push hard after taking the lead.

"Seb was very fast and we were very happy for him," he said.

"I think that today his race was perfect. If he didn't have to retire, we would have held second place."

But to win, he said, "we had to be perfect -- and we haven't been perfect today."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1811 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1769 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1074 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 456 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 185 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE