Ferrari team bos๊s Mattia Binotto insists its pre-season testing showing was a “true” reflection of the current performance of its📖 2020 Formula 1 car.

Unlike in previous years, Ferrari largely stayed away from the top of the timesheets during pre-season testing at Barcelona and instead used the six days to get a better understanding of it🥃s latest challenger, the SF✅1000.

Ferrari conceded after testing that it expected to start the season behind its closest rivals Mercedes, with the reigning world champion squad enjoying another strong winter programme barr🉐ing some reliability concern❀s.

“We have analysed the data, I don’t think there is anything wrong in terms of correla🐽tion. That’s the true performance of the car,” Binotto told t🌠he official Formula 1 website.

“Where 🌳will be compared to the others? Barcelona is alw𓂃ays testing, you need to wait for the first three races to understand where you are.

“It’s import♒ant for us as a team to continue progressing, to have solid race weekends, from the team, driver and reliabi🌳lity point of view.”

Speaking about the performance of⛎ Mercedes throughout testing, Binotto add🐎ed: “They did a great job, so we need to recognise what they did.

“On our side, we steered the direction of our project into a different direction compared to the 🐭past.

“Normally when you do that, you may lose initially some ground but hopef♍ully that will give some more potential development for the future.”

While Ferrari has now lost some of its straight-line speed advantage due to the pursuit of adding more downforce to its 2020 ☂car, Binotto expects the Scuderia to boast a stronger threat in race-trim this year.

“We have beenℱ a lot faster through the corners compared to last year,” he expꦺlained.

“So the car is doing what we are exp🔯ecting, being faster in the corners, but we’re slower on the straights.

“I think we believe t🧸hat having more downforce should help us not only on a single lap but also in the race, like in tyre management and tyre wear.

“If I think of the race simulatꦯions we did, compared to single laps performance, we have been stronger on the longer stints. That’s tꦛhe benefit of more downforce.”