Ferrari racing director pinpoints specific areas where team improved last season. Laurent Mekies pointed out the performance in slow corners.

Scuderia Ferrari is confident the 2022 Formula 1 championship will represent the ideal opportunity to get back on top, after a period in which the Maranello team had to settle for watching the battles for wins and titles only from the outside. The first step was made in 2021, during which the Italian side showed a constant improvement that eventually allowed the team to finish P3 in the Formula 1 Constructor Standings

When asked about the specific areas where Scuderia Ferrari improved last year, racing director Laurent Mekies pointed out the performance in slow corners. This allowed Charles Leclerc to secure two pole positions at his home race in Monaco and at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which unfortunately the Monegasque driver was not able to capitalize on. However, Charles Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz went on to finish P2 on the streets of Monte Carlo, his best result in the 2021 Formula 1 season.

That said, Laurent Mekies does not feel a gain in slow-corner performance was the only driving factor behind last year’s results: “I think there, as always, it was a combination of many factors – street circuits, our drivers who were very focused, preparation that allowed them to build the right confidence and the car working well in those conditions,” he explained – “I wouldn’t say it was just one of those factors. Because on other tracks, in slow corners, we found a bit of performance but unfortunately we couldn’t quite reach the level of Baku and Monaco. You could see Budapest was a good race for us, a good performance, but certainly not like Monaco and Baku. I think in Monaco and Baku there were other parameters – how to make a tyre work on a street circuit so the drivers have the right confidence and things like that.” – he added.

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At the same time, it is worth pointing out that Ferrari came closest to winning a race in the British Grand Prix, as Charles Leclerc eventually finished in second place, being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton with just three races until the end. Finishing in secind place at the high-speed Silverstone track was also a good sign for the Maranello team.

Put to Laurent Mekies that Ferrari also performed on high-speed circuits in 2021, he concluded: “That’s a good point, we also achieved some strong results on high-speed tracks. You could say, yes, that’s true.”