Ferrari will take "serenity" into winter after hitting top three target

After a hard fight with McLaren, Ferrari all but secured the position after the Saudi Arabian GP, and it now has an advantage of 38.5 points – meaning that only a miraculous turn of events could swing the outcome in the Woking team’s favour.

Ferrari slumped to sixth place in 2020 after losing straightline performance, but its much improved form this year earned poles for Charles Leclerc in Monaco and Baku, as well as a series of podium finishes.

“I think it is certainly great after a big effort,” said Binotto. “After Monza or Russia we thought it would be difficult for us to imagine we could achieve it, but the team has been continuously working well, staying focused and really consistent at all the races getting all the maximised points we could do.

“I think the objective of this year was to try to improve ourselves in the details and by doing that in the last races we have scored the points that were necessary.

“So it is great to finish third because it is really the best we could have done this year, but we know that is not the real objective of Ferrari, we know that the gap to the best competitor is still very big, but I think we can be satisfied for the progress we’ve made this season and we are really looking ahead to the next one.

“As I said finishing third gives us some serenity for the winter time and try to work well for next year’s car.”

Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari, 3rd position, lifts his trophy

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Nevertheless, Binotto was disappointed with the outcome of the Jeddah race, in which Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished seventh and eighth, with the Monegasque driver having started fourth.

“We are not, not just myself I mean the entire team the drivers as well, we are not happy with the results, we are frustrated because we know that we could have done better.

“Our race pace and quali pace too was better than seventh and eighth and today we have been unlucky with all of the situations of the race and I think we are clearly the third car in terms of pace this weekend, which means we could have finished ahead of where we finished.

“Which is great as well somehow, as it is a brand new circuit, and I think it shows that again our race preparations back at Maranello meant we came here in the best position.

"So I am pretty happy with the race, but frustrated for the result.”