Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto says finishing third in the 2021 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship is not the team’s primary goal.
The Italian squad is currently recovering from a disastrous 2020 campaign that saw it slip into the midfield fight and finish sixth in the standings.
It has made clear progress for the current season, as it is currently embroiled in a battle for third with McLaren.
But having outscored their rivals at the Styrian Grand Prix last weekend, Binotto asserts that finishing ahead of McLaren at the end of the year is not its main objective.
“How important is it to gain points here over McLaren? It isn’t, maybe I’m surprising you,” Binotto said.
“As I said at the start of the season, our main objectives is to make sure as a team we are progressing in the view of the next years and the next seasons.
“Doing better in every single area, making sure we are learning, the mistakes as it has been in France.
“Clearly the third position in the Constructors’ can be an objective, but it’s not the main one. The main one, as I said before, is as a team, we are improving and doing better in the future.
“In that respect, great, we gained four points for the Constructors’, but it’s not our top objective for the season.
“The fact that our drivers are doing well to McLaren, not judging the others, I will not start doing it, I am judging ourselves, I am very proud the way our drivers are fitting into the team, behaving and driving.”
Ferrari endured a mixed weekend in Austria last time out, as it lacked pace in qualifying before performing strongly in the race.
“I think that overall we are happy, no doubt starting ahead in quali would’ve been better,” Binotto reflected.
“I think that if we look at the overall balance of the weekend, our quali result needs to be improved.
“But we’ve got an opportunity in a weeks’ time back here at the same track, try to address it.
“Again, the team will work together to try and understand how we may improve our speed in the quali. But overall I think we can be happy for [Sunday].”
