Ferrari looked on course for a comfortable one-two finish at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday before a series of events were poised to change the race.
Carlos Sainz was about to overtake second-placed Max Verstappen on lap 57 (of 71) when his engine suddenly failed, putting him out of the race.
Then, after a virtual safety car period to assist the Spaniard’s fire-damaged car, Charles Leclerc began to complain of problems with the throttle sticking wide open in the corners.
Ferrari had already seen two wins slip away this season when Leclerc retired leading with engine problems at both the Spanish GP and the Azerbaijan GP, and again the ghosts of another painful reliability retirement loomed.
The situation was so worrying for Binotto that he couldn’t take it and didn’t follow the action on track during the last few laps.
Asked by Motorsport.com what was going through his mind late in the race with reliability issues, the Swiss said: “I have to admit I was very nervous. Also disappointed by what happened to Carlos “.
“But so nervous that I stopped watching the race for the last three laps.”
Ferrari suspects that Leclerc’s throttle problem was caused by some kind of mechanical failure, but it will be fully investigated this week when the car returns to Maranello .
Binotto also reckons Sainz’s engine failure was likely a repeat of the same problem that sidelined Leclerc at the Baku street circuit.
“Obviously, we have to analyze what happened today in Carlos [Sainz]’s car,” he told a news conference after the Austrian GP. “Is it the same as what we already suffered in Baku with Charles [Leclerc]? It is very likely.”
“It’s certainly a concern, but the people at Maranello are working very hard to try to put things right. Obviously, seeing what happened to Carlos, it hasn’t been fixed yet.”
“But we have new parts and I know how hard they are working and how good they are. I can count on them and I am confident that it will be fixed very soon, hopefully sooner rather than later.”
