Formula 1 director of motorsports, Ross Brawn, believes Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc should follow the example set by Lewis Hamilton and admit fault, rather than point fingers at each other.
Hamilton was involved in a late clash with Red Bull's Alexander Albon during the final laps of the Brazilian Grand Prix, causing Albon to spin out and lose a potential podium finish. Immediately after the race Hamilton went up to Albon to apologise and admitted fault during the pre-podium interviews.
However in the case of Vettel and Leclerc – who crashed into and took each other out of the race – neither accepted any responsibility, instead pointing the finger at one another.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has called an urgent meeting with his drivers to discuss the situation, which Brawn believes must be done to ensure things don't get out of hand at the Italian outfit heading into the 2020 season.
"If Albon was the epitome of disappointment, the two Ferrari drivers were just plain angry," Brawn said in his post-race media debrief. "It’s never nice when team-mates knock one another out of a race, even more so when it’s not even a particularly important result that goes begging, as in this case, third place in Brazil was the most they could aspire to.
"After tensions flared in the races following the summer break, everything seemed to have calmed down in the Ferrari dressing room. But now, Mattia Binotto faces the tough task of getting things back on track and indeed he said just that in his interviews after the race.
"He had to get stuck in and tell the drivers to face up to their responsibilities, which in Maranello always means putting the interests of the team ahead of those of the individual, which was not the case in yesterday’s race."
Brawn believes the situation could have been handled better if one of the drivers admitted culpability, rather than blaming one another.
"I wouldn’t want to venture an opinion on who was most at fault for the collision, but in the cold light of day, maybe it would be good if one of them will follow Hamilton’s example and immediately admit culpability, as the champion did regarding his clash with Albon," he added.
"If Ferrari really wants to put an end to Mercedes’ dominance, not only does it need to provide its drivers with a more competitive car next year, it must also ensure that incidents like this one are not repeated. Formula 1 is a team sport, especially so in Maranello."
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