Formula 1 restarts from Miami, the fifth round of the 2022 Formula 1 season and a new challenge for Scuderia Ferrari in its battle with Red Bull for the F1 titles. Imola seemed more fitting to the characteristics of the Red Bull car, but as already happened in Australia when Red Bull was the big favorite, the difference of small elements led to an almost unexpected result in the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: “I think the difference between us and Red Bull was minimal and was made by small details” – team principal Mattia Binotto said after the race in Italy – “We need to keep morale high because there have been small episodes that made the difference, I think aboutsuch as Charles’ start and a slow pit stop which did not allow us to stay ahead of Sergio Perez” – the Ferrari boss admitted.
At Imola, Red Bull gambled by bringing a small package of updates to the track, which helped to reduce the weight of Max Verstappen’s RB18 alone by around 4 kg. Updates for Sergio Perez will arrive in Miami due to the lack of time to produce them for both cars in Intaly. This allowed the engineers of the Anglo-Austrian team to widen the set-up window, thanks to an improved and optimized weight distribution. “We don’t know how much the new update has given us, but it certainly hasn’t made us slower,” commented Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at the end of a rather unstable weekend that didn’t allow the Milton Keynes team to make a real evaluation of the updates.
On the Italian circuit, one of the strengths of the RB18s was the aerodynamic efficiency, low drag that allows them to record better top speed than the other cars. The secret of these impressive peaks – which at the moment neither Ferrari, nor especially Mercedes are able to counter – lies in a car chassis that generates little resistance and can run without a major compromise in terms of ground clearance, having solved the problem of the porpoising effect with the update introduced early on in the Bahrain tests. However, thanks to an optimized weight distribution, Max Verstappen’s RB18 was also able to count on a much better front, opening an important gap to Ferrari’s F1-75 in corner entry at Imola, also facilitated by the absence of bouncing. It was precisely the front end that had created major problems for both Red Bull drivers in Melbourne, with the onset of heavy understeer and the appearance of the annoying graining that had significantly underperformed both RB18s.
What had been seen in Australia – a dominant Ferrari – should not have been considered normal, as well as what was seen during the Imola weekend. The latest addition to Maranello remains an excellent car that can still give Red Bull a hard time at any track, as long as the development program designed in Maranello gives the desired results. Up to now, the Scuderia has been able to count on some important advantages over the competition deriving from being particularly ready on the track, thanks to a fast and easy-to-drive car, and an engine with better reliability than the Honda power unit, which is a very important aspect in such a close battle. However, with the steps forward made by Red Bull at Imola, which still have to be confirmed immediately in Miami. The Miami International Autodrome around the Hard Rock Stadium is a totally new track but one which, at least on paper, shouldn’t be too displeasing to the RB18s given the long straights, so Ferrari need a step forward and this can only be guaranteed by new updates.
Ferrari is a car that enjoys many strengths, is more performing in the slow sections, and is better generally in the exit of almost all types of corners, however it lacks in terms of efficiency compared to the fast car designed by Adrian Newey, albeit the F1-75 is not a car as inefficient as we might think, simply by looking at it from the outside. Another strong point of the Italian car is the important possibility of attacking the kerbs. It is no coincidence that in the race Charles Leclerc’s mistake arrived precisely at the Variante Gresin, the former Variante Alta. In that part of Imola track, the Ferrari F1-75 made up a lot of ground on Red Bull and shortly after there was the point where, being less than a second from the car in front, Charles Leclerc could have used the DRS on the main straight. In the end, a lot of confidence and the desire to take second place led the Monegasque into an error that unfortunately cost him seven points in the Formula 1 Driver Standings.
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After the updates brought to the track by Red Bull between the Bahrain tests and the first races of the 2022 Formula 1 campaign, it is now up to Scuderia Ferrari to demonstrate how it has improved also in the race for developments and by responding with facts to Helmut Marko’s provocations. Will Ferrari be able to keep up with the updates? “I don’t believe so. As soon as we put real pressure on them, they started making mistakes,” the consultant of the Anglo-Austrian team told the Dutch press. In Miami there will be some small innovations in order to adapt to a track that is to be considered medium-low downforce while the most important package is expected on the F1-75 in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya. Changes are expected in various areas, such as the floor, waiting for a new rear suspension that could arrive in the second half of the season to allow the F1-75 to extract even more potential. The main objective is to eliminate the bouncing because it is what could guarantee a new important step forward, especially in the type of corners similar to the 9 and 10 in Melbourne or like the Tamburello in Imola.
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