The Ferrari team leaves Silverstone having landed their best result of the season so far after a chaotic start at lights out.
After contact was made between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed to take the lead.
Then, after the restart following Max’s incident, Leclerc led the Grand Prix up until a Lap 50 overtake by the Mercedes world champion demoted the Monegasque driver to the second step on the podium.
Following the race, Team Principal Mattia Binotto hailed their youngest driver but admitted they’re still a long way off fighting for the title – as Mercedes and Red Bull prove to be well ahead of the field week in week out.
“This was a positive Grand Prix for us, not just because of the result, but mainly because of the progress the team has made”, Binotto said.
“After the race in France, the whole group reacted well. We know we are not yet at the point to be fighting for the top places on a regular basis, as there are two cars that are faster than ours. But it’s important that we are working in the right direction.
“Charles drove a fantastic race, following on from excellent performances on Friday and Saturday. I can understand his disappointment because it hurts to lose a win in the closing moments of a race, but he should be pleased with what he achieved over these three days.”
Charles Leclerc spoke about the disappointment in losing the top spot in the final laps but says he’s proud of how the team has progressed this season.
“We have to look at the positives in this type of situation, despite the disappointment of losing the win in the closing laps. It was a challenging race for me. In the first stint, I had to make some changes on the steering wheel to manage the engine cuts I had.
“After that, I felt that we had it under control. I managed to pull away from the others and lead for the majority of the race. Unfortunately, Lewis was just more competitive on the Hards. I could feel his pace as he approached me and there was not much I could do.
“On the upside, we were quicker than anyone else on the Mediums, which we did not expect. It was impressive. On the Hards, we had a little bit less of an advantage but still showed a great pace. I am very proud of how we have been working”, the Ferrari driver added.
“The team has done an incredible job and fully deserves this podium. They also deserve a win, so we will keep pushing to make it happen if we get the chance.”
