Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has urged for “focus” at the Maranello team and a “race-by-race” approach as the Italian side attempts to fight back against Red Bull and reduce the gap in the second part of the 2022 Formula 1 campaign.
After Carlos Sainz won the British Grand Prix and Charles Leclerc took victory at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Ferrari was on its way for a third consecutive victory at the Paul Ricard circuit in the French Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc starting the race from pole position and leading the early stages of the event. However, the Monegasque driver made a rare mistake and crashed out after 18 laps, which opened the door for Max Verstappen to take the win and extend his lead ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen now enjoys a solid 63-point lead in the Drivers’ standings after the French Grand Prix, while the Maranello team have fallen 82 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings and have a very difficult task in the second part of the championship.
At the same time Mercedes, who have had a slower car this season but were able to capitalized on several opportunities, most recently with a double podium finish in the French Grand Prix, are now closer to Scuderia Ferrari in the standings than the the Maranello team is to Red Bull.
Mattia Binotto is aware that neither Charles Leclerc nor Scuderia Ferrari can afford any more problems as they attempt to recover at least some of the gap to Max Verstappen and Red Bull in their title glory. The Ferrari boss also pointed out how his team will fight back.
“No, we cannot, [just] as they cannot afford mistakes – I think that’s the risk for everyone,” Mattia Binotto said for Sky Sports F1, after Carlos Sainz saved a few points by finishing fifth and also setting the fastest lap of the race, despite having started from the back of the grid due to several penalties for new power unit components – “[We will take it] step-by-step, race-by-race and stay focused. We will try to challenge them, try to win all the races from now to the end, which is the only thing we can do. Then let’s see what will happen [at the end of the season].” – he added.
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Formula 1 now heads to Hungaroring, which hosts the final race ahead of the summer break. Given the track characteristics of the Hungarian track, Ferrari should be strong and Mattia Binotto hopes this time things will go better: “I think as usual it will be very tight. I think the car is behaving well, it has done well in hot and cold conditions. We will go there with maximum downforce, which is different to what we had here. Red Bull as well will need to put some more downforce on the car, so I’m not expecting such an advantage on the speed. We know that Hungary again is difficult for tyres overheating, it’s difficult for the front tyres, for the traction. It’s a very similar challenge to [the French GP] and I think that we were doing a pretty good job.” – the Ferrari team principal concluded.
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