Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto suggested in Sochi that this year's grueling schedule is perhaps starting to impact the Scuderia's execution on race weekends, as "physical fatigue" sets in.
F1 teams were awarded a one-week break ahead of the Russian Grand Prix after completing at Monza earlier this month their second triple-header of the season.
While Carlos Sainz concluded his race on the podium last weekend, Charles Leclerc's promising charge from the back row that put a top-three finish in his line of sight was squandered during the final laps of the race, when the Monegasque undertook a belated switch to the intermediate tyres amid the suddenly wet conditions.
Binotto rued the delayed call but also noted that less than optimal pit stops had also cost both Ferrari drivers positions in last Sunday's race, alluding to "fatigue" as a potential cause for the sluggish execution.
©Ferrari
"Too bad for Charles, he was basically always there with Verstappen, testifying to how good his pace was," Binotto told Sky Italia.
"In the end, the timing of the tyre choice was not ideal in that chaotic moment. I’m sorry for him because the final result could have been much better.
"We will learn from this as we must try to improve in every area.
"Some less than perfect pit-stops also cost us positions, especially with Charles.
"So let’s look at this to understand how to do better. Generally, it’s a dense and very intense season with almost no rest.
"There are back-to-back races and also physical fatigue that must be taken into consideration. But I don’t say this as an excuse."
In Russia, Ferrari introduced its long-awaited new hybrid system update, with Leclerc the sole recipient of the upgrade.
Although the new power unit provided only a small performance gain according to Scuderia sporting director Laurent Mekies, Ferrari emphasized the importance of validating the system in the context of next year's season.
"It is a step in terms of performance, but as Charles and Laurent said already, more importantly for us, certainly it has pushed forward as much as we could with that new technology.
"It will certainly help in the view of 2022 in terms of the experience we can do.
"But I’m happy now that Charles has got it and got it for the rest of the season, which still is a step."
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