Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto says those who believe that the Italian side had an advantage over rivals Red Bull and Mercedes in terms of car development ahead of the 2022 Formula One championship are “completely wrong”. The Ferrari boss can be pleased with the start of the season, as the Maranello team is currently on top of the Constructors’ Championship standings ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, round 3 of the season.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz started the 2022 campaign with an amazing one-two finish at the Bahrain International Circuit and took another podium finish in Saudi Arabia, this time behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, as the two are currently placed first and second in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
From the first time since 2018, Scuderia Ferrari seem capable of challenging for the F1 titles. A lot of hard work is hidden behind the pace of the F1-75 car, as the Italian side shifted focus from developing their 2021 car to building their 2022 challenger from the early stages of the previous season, when it was clear that they could not fight for race wins in 2021.
On the other hand, Mercedes and Red Bull continued their fight until the last round of the 2021 Formula 1 championship, which ended with the highly discussed Abu Dhabi. For some, that has offered Ferrari a clear advantage over their opponents for 2022. When asked if he agreed with that assessment, Mattia Binotto replied: “No, that’s completely wrong. According to the rules, everyone was only allowed to start working in the wind tunnel and simulations on 1 January, 2021. We may have put more focus on 2022, but we all started from the same point, and [we] just did a good job.” – he said, as reported by the German media.
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Despite currently leading in both championships, Mattia Binotto said he cannot yet be sure the F1-75 will be able to stay on top as the season progresses. Instead, the Ferrari Team Principal will wait until after the Miami Grand Prix, the season’s fifth event, before evaluating the 2022 pecking order and the true prospects for the championship: “I don’t think we have an advantage over the others. Who has [the advantage] only becomes apparent after the first five races. The fact [is] that we got that double win in Bahrain and the podiums in Saudi Arabia as a team: drivers, mechanics, engineers and many more. We are in a very solid position at the moment.” – the Ferrari boss concluded, ahead of the 2022 Australian GP.
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