In a recent article for quotidiano.net, Formula 1 journalist and analyst Giuliano Duchessa reports on why Mercedes dominated in Brazil, opens up on Mattia Binotto’s position at Ferrari and provides details about the main difficulties encountered by the Maranello team during the 2022 Formula 1 season, which did not allow Ferrari to challenge Red Bull for the world titles. Here are some of Giuliano Duchessa’s most important comments:
In Brazil, one year later, Mercedes returned to victory – indeed to a one-two finish – breaking the streak of Red Bull. Curiously, the last time Mercedes dominated was also in São Paulo in 2021, albeit in very different forms since then. A year ago power made the difference while on Sunday it was more a combination of factors that made their task easier. In any case, it is an interesting sign of strength that gives technicians and drivers the satisfaction of seeing important efforts repaid.
Interlagos showed what was clearly visible in the last few races. An increasingly less moody W13, less and less sensitive to bumps and curbs, very effective in long corners. This means that the car is able to run constantly lower, with the double benefit of having slightly decreased drag and increased downforce.
The update package introduced in Austin (floor, front wing) worked and unlocked – according to the technicians – a further 3 tenths which added up to the four tenths regained after the introduction of the Technical Directive 39 (added to those lost by rivals). Finally, another two tenths were gained through a better overall understanding of the car. The fact that last Sunday the Brackley team was the one that managed the compounds best of all is the most important indication. Even mechanically, we see how Hamilton and Russell now show more aggressiveness, they feel more at ease with the car. Surely, now that they’re enjoying themselves, they’ll be the only ones who are sad that the races are almost over.
A technically unusual weekend for Red Bull, marked by internal scuffles.
The world champion team appeared subdued, with a rather light set-up on the tyres, which limited Max Verstappen’s ability to recover after the contact with Lewis Hamilton. Sergio Perez was probably the least quick of the leading six drivers. The increase in temperatures between the sprint and the race did not compensate for these shortcomings.
The atmosphere between Verstappen, Perez and the team is rather strange, each with his reasons, but it is something that is incomprehensibly polluting a phenomenal season. Since we’re going to Abu Dhabi maybe Max would do well to remember what the Mexican did there one year ago. Certainly not a great picture for him.
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Ferrari moment
All in all, Ferrari maximized the result but remains under fire from Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ standings. Another unclean weekend, between the mistake in qualifying that reminded many of Suzuka four years ago and then the usual unfortunate episodes during the race.
Nonetheless, no one has pointed the finger within the team, and on this issue we need to start from further away.
Mattia Binotto is in his fourth season as Ferrari team principal, the same time as was given to his predecessor, Maurizio Arrivabene. Both have achieved a second place in the constructors’ championship as their best result so far. In both eras – so far – being in the fight for the championship has remained a dream that faded too soon. In 2018 there was an undeclared struggle for the management of the team. It is known that Sergio Marchionne, before passing away suddenly, chose the Italian-Swiss technician as head of the Ferrari Racing Department. Obviously neither he nor the top management could have imagined such a brutal and tragic event. After the summer break of 2018, without Sergio Marchionne, there was now a different situation: it was clear that the new president John Elkann did not have the useful elements and the necessary experience in the field to immediately follow up on a decision to reorganize a complex machine such as the Ferrari Racing Department. In the heat after qualifying at Suzuka, Arrivabene hit out at the team for messing up the choice of tyres.
But the serious thing is that he did it as if he were someone passing by chance, an ordinary observer, outside the team. It was probably something that showed the highest level of management (and the lowest) how he could not fit the role.
Mattia Binotto was promoted to the role of team principal in January 2019, in a moment that we remember coincided with important decisions on the technical regulation front. Formula 1 was deciding what the cars of the future would look like. 2019 was a good year, certainly not worthy of Hamilton and Mercedes, however having set the team’s future with the renewed enthusiasm brought by Leclerc’s performances seemed to give some optimism. 2020 had been counted as an expendable season to clear some technical delays. The technical directive following the agreement with the FIA destroyed that season before it started. The SF1000 wasn’t a great car, but it was the engine gap that made it one of the worst in recent history.
After which the pandemic – with nightmarish timing – delayed the regulation changes by a year, prolonging the agony.
Ferrari’s current season is difficult to explain to anyone who has seen the first five races of the F1-75 and then returned to watch only from Belgium onwards. Officially the famous Technical Directive 39 is considered “negligible” because it has afflicted everyone. However – since the first hour – we have repeatedly signaled that the data was too clear to dismiss the issue. But that’s not the point and it’s good to be clear: Ferrari has lost its global chances due to a poor reliability that it is trying to improve in a significant way for next year. It is no longer a mystery that the Maranello power unit has never run at the maximum power level. We are probably talking about 25/30 hp, or 6/7 tenths.
Mattia Binotto candidly admitted that aerodynamic development has been frozen.
According to what has been learned, 3/4 tenths of development on the current single-seater have been sacrificed for the benefit of the new car. The 675 will have some major improvements and in many areas. The goal is to return to having much more downforce to widen the set-up options and obtain all the available power for which the engine was designed. If these targets are met there is no reason not to think we have a three-way fight after the winter.
Change who? Perhaps better to say change what.
Very often when you lose you end up targeting only one culprit, sacrificing him. It is an understandable temptation, it rarely proves to be right, often in turns out to be wrong. Even more when it comes to Ferrari. It sure eases the pressure for a while, at least until the next changes.
Meanwhile, distorted rumors about changes increase, even more when the illusion leads to feeling even more disappointed.
Once in Maranello managers came begging in their knees. Once upon a time, you’d get a Ross Brawn and give him the keys to the garage. Now it’s not that easy to even bring top level engineers. It is better to be careful about talking roughly about purges of some profiles. The same profiles that we later fatally found placed in roles that complicated – or complicate – life for Ferrari itself.
Mattia Binotto and the Ferrari Racing Department pyramid know this. At the same time I guess they know all too well that time is not improving certain dynamics. Therefore, interventions can be expected in due time.
