Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto feels that very fine details will determine the outcome of each individual Grand Prix during the next few races the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship, based on the impressions and data from the the first two events this year.
The Ferrari boss was interviewed by the media after the Maranello team scored another double podium finish at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc finished in second place, ahead of his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz. Despite the solid result and the confirmations after the win in Bahrain, for Ferrari there are some regrets as Charles Leclerc came very close to a second race victory in 2022, losing the lead with just a few laps until the chequered flag in Saudi Arabia, after a Virtual Safety Car intervention that helped Red Bull in the fight for P1.
Both Charles Leclerc and the Dutch driver Max Verstappen had been evenly-matched during the entire Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the gap between them never growing more than about two seconds. The Monegasque driver was able to gain through the more technical section of the track thanks to the aerodynamic configuration chosen by the Maranello team, but Max Verstappen would catch back up along the straights due to a slightly lower downforce level, which eventually proved to be the better option.
Even after being overtaken by his rival, Charles Leclerc was able to stay close to Max Verstappen and looked set to attempt a pass in the final lap, but a yellow flag at sector 1 meant Charles did not get a last opportunity to regain the lead, as they crossed the finish line. With the minor downforce difference seemingly making all the difference at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Mattia Binotto believes the next races will also be decided by very small margins.
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Asked where he felt the characteristics of the F1-75 and RB18 car were different and how the Italian side want to take their developing knowledge of their opponent into consideration for the next battles, the Ferrari boss explained that his team had made their downforce choice based on simulator analysis: “We saw Max was on a slightly higher downforce level on Friday, and he reduced it. We decided ourselves to stay on a higher level of downforce, because we believed that was important for tyre degradation. But, during the race, the tyre degradation was very little. I see that their choice merits some analysis from our side. But, overall, it’s always a compromise. We have proved as well, because it has been a long race, that both choices can be a good choice. It was only a matter of details that decided the race at the end.” – he added.
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