In a discussion with Sky Sports Italy at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto was asked about the confusion after the Suzuka event, when nobody knew for sure whether Max Verstappen had won the 2022 Formula 1 world championship based on the results and points distribution in Japan:
“We were confused too. Our calculations initially were that he was not going to be world champion. In the end, a satisfactory explanation was given. […] I saw the clarification from the FIA as to why full points were awarded today. We accept that, I don’t think there is much to discuss about this. Max is world champion, congratulations to him. And he deserves it, he has had a fantastic season. ” – the Ferrari boss said for Sky Sports Italy.
When asked to comment on the Japanese weekend and more specifically on the latest update introduced by the Italian side at Suzuka, a new floor version, the Italian side’s Team Principal replied:
“The floor behaved as expected. On Friday it was wet, but on Saturday morning it was dry and the feedback we gathered from the track was as expected”.
Mattia Binotto also added that “the new floor essentially represents the latest development of this season”.
On the subject of the developments, the Ferrari Team Principal repeatedly stressed that after returning from the summer break that the technical directive regarding the wear of the plank did not affect the performance of the Ferrari F1-75 car. The FIA Technical Director Nikolas Tombazis, on the other hand, stated that “almost all the teams have had to make changes”, adding that “now all the floors must be more rigid in the lower part”.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
According to Mattia Binotto, however, the two visions are both true: “It is true that there have been changes to the floors to comply with the technical directive, but not that it has impacted our performance. I keep saying it wasn’t that. Moreover, Hungary was ahead of Belgium and already there we had lost our brilliance compared to Red Bull. It is not the technical directive that affected our performance and that penalized us in some way. Rather, we were penalized by Red Bull’s development capacity this year, which was superior to ours.” An explanation that could lead to the affirmation that it was not Ferrari that lost performance, therefore, but Red Bull which found more: “It’s always all relative. We also found performance, but not as much as they did. If I look at the other cars on the grid, perhaps Mercedes aside but they started from a distance, I think we have maintained a good development level”, concluded Mattia Binotto.
Leave a Reply