Binotto: Leclerc's constant improvement gives Ferrari "confidence for the future"
Mattia Binotto has revealed he is most impressed with Charles Leclerc's constant improvement and ability to learn lessons in Formula 1. The man from Monaco is just 24 points shy of his four-time world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel.
While it hasn't been a pleasing season for the Ferrari team, Leclerc's move to Ferrari seems to have worked. Despite not winning, the lessons learnt now as well as experience should put Leclerc in a good position for the future.
"We knew that Charles is a talent, we knew he was very strong because we saw him in GP3 and GP2. Among the many aspects, the one that most surprised us is the continuous improvement that it manages to make race by race, it's incredible how you learn from your mistakes," Binotto said in an interview with the Italian branch of Motorsport.com.
"We have seen that his weekend on the track is becoming more solid and profitable, and he still has room for growth: it gives us confidence for the future."
In the past, Ferrari has always put experienced drivers in their seats. With Leclerc's move seen as a change of tactics from the Italian team, Binotto doesn't confirm if we'll see more of it in the future. He claims Leclerc wasn't a risk.
"I don't think we should think about the past, but look to the future, without regrets. We have partnered a young driver with a more experienced one, and it has worked. We are also a young team, and as an approach, there is the desire to meet those with less experience. But back to Charles, we knew him and we knew that ... no, it wasn't a risk," Binotto added.