Scuderia Ferrari is expecting “some surprises” especially in the first part of the 2022 Formula 1 season as teams will do everything possible to copy one another’s solutions and innovations.
The new season marks the start of a new era for Formula 1, with a completely new design and concept as compared to the previous championships, with a focus on ground effect aerodynamics.
However only time will tell though if the new rules will lead to improved racing, with drivers who should have more influence on the outcome of a race.
With that in mind Ross Brawn and Formula 1’s technical group have done several rounds of “rule-busting”, as the former Ferrari and Mercedes man explained it, with the goal of closing any loopholes that could give one team an advantage over the rest of the field.
But while he believes they have done just that, the Formula 1 teams have spent the last year – if not even longer – looking for that one innovation that will give them an early advantage in the 2022 Formula One campaign.
Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto says it could happen leading to a few early season surprises.
“We can expect some surprises, especially at the beginning of the season where some teams will have identified better solutions that others may not have thought of,” he told Sky Italia.
And then, he says, it is up to Ferrari to “demonstrate the ability to react if necessary and direct developments. It will be important to further improve and be competitive.”
When asked about the new generation of challengers, the Italian says the drivers will also have a period adjustment that they will have to go through as the cars are very different to last season’s.
“It will be a very different season,” he added, “with very different cars from the ones we know. The regulations are completely new, different shapes and aerodynamics, suspensions and mechanics all different. We expect different cars to drive, the drivers will have to adapt. They will be much faster cars in the fast sections and corners, they will probably be slower in the slower sectors. They will be stiffer and lower, therefore more complicated for the drivers as well.”
Mattia Binotto is confident Scuderia Ferrari are up for the challenge having recovered to third last season.
Despite the fact that it was a second successive year without a single Grand Prix victory on the board, the team boss believes the Italian team have taken steps both on the track and behind the scenes to improve.
“If I look at the past there were many areas to improve: engine, chassis, aerodynamics and the development tools between calculation and track. Today I see an improved team. We will see the fruit of the work shortly, when we get on track with the car. We will have to be good, regardless of how it behaves, to understand and analyse it.” – he concluded.
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