Binotto: Performance 'not good enough for a team named Ferrari'

©Ferrari

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Scuderia boss Mattia Binotto acknowledged that his outfit's current performance level is unworthy of a team "by the name of Ferrari".

For the second consecutive weekend, the Italian outfit failed to put both its cars into the top-ten in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc left stranded in P11 at the end of Q2, the same result that befell Sebastian Vettel a week ago in the Austrian Grand Prix.

Yet Ferrari had hopes of improving the speed of its SF1000 after fast-tracking part of an aero package initially scheduled to appear in Hungary next week.

Berger questions Binotto all-encompassing management role

But the updates have led to more questions than answers for the House of Maranello, and to Binotto offering a biting assessment of his team's current status.

"A really disappointing day," admitted Binotto after Saturday's botched qualifying. "We have to accept that the stopwatch doesn’t ever lie.

"In two qualifying sessions, albeit in different conditions, we have not been competitive, not only against those who have been our closest rivals over the past few years, but also against others, who up to yesterday were generally behind us.

"We worked very hard to bring updates to the car earlier than planned, but they didn’t show their worth on track," he added.

"We have to work out why and change this state of affairs, which is just not good enough for a team by the name of Ferrari. We cannot ignore the facts."

Last weekend, circumstances helped Leclerc luck into a second-place finish behind Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.

Unfortunately, the Monegasque and Vettel will likely need to rely once again on their good fortune to pull off a good result in Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix.

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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.