Mattia Binotto was a proud man as he praised his Ferrari team for their "dummy" which helped Charles Leclerc beat Sergio Perez to second place in the drivers' championship.
Max Verstappen was already the runaway champion heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, so the main source of intrigue was that battle to be runner-up to the Dutchman. Red Bull were chasing their first ever one-two finish, and Ferrari were out to stop them.
The task for Leclerc and Perez was clear – whoever finished ahead of the other would take second place in the championship. And so in the race a cagey tactical battle ensued, and the result went down to whoever blinked first.
Perez was running in second place behind Verstappen, who would predictably go on to win the race. And as the Mexican seemed to have a little bit more pace compared to his Ferrari rival, it was becoming clear he would most likely go on to win that battle if both drivers stayed on one-stop strategies.
So Ferrari told Leclerc over the radio: "Box opposite Red Bull." That meant the Monegasque should pit for a second time, unless Perez did so in front of him. Upon hearing that message, Red Bull pulled their driver in for a change of tyres to block an undercut.
But as Binotto revealed after the race, it was a ruse. Leclerc was always supposed to be on a one-stop strategy, and he gained track position by tricking Perez into the pit lane. The Mexican had fresher tyres and closed the gap in the final few laps of the race, but could not get close enough to prevent Leclerc beating him to the finish line.
Christian Horner admitted after the race they had changed their strategy as they thought Ferrari were "gearing up for an undercut". And so Binotto was delighted that their ruse worked well, telling Sky Sports: "I have to say that everything that we've done was exactly what we wanted to do.
"That's what was planned before. The laps where, I can say it now, where we dummied him and made him think that we were going to pit opposite. He took it and went for the second stop. So we did everything perfect – I'm very proud of our execution.
"I think that certainly the dummy call on the Red Bull was a fantastic call from the pits. I think it is great for the team – it is great for the strategists, and it is great having done a solid race weekend this weekend. Ferrari, when it is making mistakes, there is always a lot of criticism. But, as well, I know that these guys can do very well."
