Binotto: Ferrari 'not good enough' at playing politics

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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto says the Scuderia needs to improve its political game in Formula 1, an area in which the team was outdone by its rivals in 2019.

On the back of last year's cheating allegations unsubtly directed towards Ferrari in the latter part of the season, Binotto believes the Italian outfit showed a weakness in terms of using politics as a strategy tool against its adversaries.

In light of the gains showed by Ferrari after last year's summer break, the legality of the Scuderia's power unit was called into question, forcing the FIA to publish a series of technical directives, the implementation of which appeared to rein in the red cars' power.

Level of competition in F1 'unprecedented' says Binotto

At the time, Binotto denied the allegations, insisting the House of Maranello had simply outpaced its rivals over the summer in terms of engine development.

But the rumors caused a fair amount of distraction at Ferrari, which was likely the very purpose of the conjecture created by the team's rivals.

"They pointed their fingers at us. It was just about building pressure," Binotto told Motorsport-Total.com.

"You have to answer every question in interviews, and there was a certain tendency. We had to live with that."

In hindsight, the Swiss engineer believes it was all just a game of politics, which Ferrari played poorly from its side.

"Formula 1 is not only a technical and sporting challenge, but also a political one," he added. "That probably showed one of our weaknesses in the season.

"We are not good enough when it comes to politics. There are people who do it better. They use the media to build up pressure.

"We have to understand how we can do this better and act better in the future, because this is part of the balance of power during the season."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.