For Scuderia Ferrari it’s time to make the first assessments, but also to think about the future, as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is now behind us. The 2022 Formula 1 world championship has ended but the 2023 season is already around the corner, so much so that tomorrow all the teams will test the 2023 tires for the first time. Six compounds, one more than this season. A new C1 will be introduced while the 2022 specification will become the 2023 C0 so as to reduce the important gap in terms of performance that existed this year between the C1 and the C2.
At Ferrari, every season is crucial and the next one will be no exception. Mattia Binotto knows this very well and does not hide, but still remains realistic as usual. “The goal for 2022 was to be competitive again. From that point to winning there is another step, the most difficult to take, but we will work hard to further improve”. No public promise is almost a must if your name is Ferrari, the pressure does not decrease in any case. The facts count and it facts that Ferrari will focus on in view of 2023.
A question that is normally asked at the usual Christmas dinner when Ferrari greets and thanks journalists and business partners was brought forward at this press conference. “The vote for the season? I’d say a 7.5/8. Definitely a positive one, the goal was achieved after two difficult seasons. Nobody, and I mean nobody, would have bet on a Ferrari that was so strong at the start and that still remained competitive after 22 races. We fought with a Red Bull and beat Mercedes, finishing on the podium here in Abu Dhabi.” – he added.
The Team Principal then also revealed a ‘background story’ on the F1-75 when asked to assign an adjective to the team for this 2022. “Internally we have called our car ‘warrior’. This also represented the spirit with which we approached this season, our attitude”. The Italian-Swiss engineer also commented on what made him somewhat ‘proud’ of this season and what were the critical points of 2022, even on a personal level. “The best thing was seeing how the team worked after a difficult 2021 and so it’s only fair to give them credit. Both on the track and in Maranello they worked hard to give us satisfaction, even if not yet complete. On the other hand, the difficulties were managing the criticisms for any choice or mistake made, but it is part of being Ferrari. But this helped me learn to manage them better and keep the boys calm”.
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Clear objectives for Ferrari 2023: to improve performance and reliability.
The basis therefore is always a technical analysis, with improvement in all areas for the successor to the F1-75. “We will certainly have to improve in terms of strategies and pitstops, but the basis remains the car. This year we were very fast in qualifying, a little less in the race” – Mattia Binotto added.
The head of the Maranello Racing Division already has in mind what steps Ferrari must take. “We have to concentrate on a faster and more reliable car. Only with that will we be able to be competitive throughout the season.” Especially on the power unit side, which this year initially proved to be the most competitive, but the various technical failures prompted the Prancing Horse men to decrease power during the races. Ferrari has the potential to unlock many HP from its power unit, which was limited to cope with the various failures that – as a consequence – have also led to grid penalties which have thus conditioned some race weekends. “It will be necessary to improve reliability and we are already working hard on this in Maranello.” Mattia Binotto rightly confirmed.
An F1-75 car that got off to a strong start in the 2022 championship, then ended up being overtaken – with a significant gap – by Red Bull and with a Mercedes that made up a lot of ground on them, being on average the second fastest car from Spa. Mattia Binotto draws attention on an early interrupted development on the F1-75 which thus justifies the loss as compared to the two rival teams. Regarding Red Bull, he added an important difference: “They managed to improve a lot by taking weight off the car, which we couldn’t afford. Our improvement came from updates from an aerodynamic point of view”.
As stated several times throughout the season, especially in the first part, this is a substantial difference. In fact, for Adrian Newey and his men there was a lot of potential to be unlocked ‘for free’, with direct and above all indirect benefits guaranteed by the simple weight loss of many components, while Ferrari had to find performance only with aerodynamic packages.
Binotto: “The 2023 Ferrari? It will not be similar to Red Bull or Mercedes”
“Next year we will not only have to contend with Red Bull, but also with Mercedes. At the beginning of the season I said they would be competitive again and they did.” – Mattia Binotto immediately wants to make things clear, namely that next year will certainly be a three-way fight.
Approximately 100 days before seeing the new cars taking to the track, the first speculations will soon begin. Information about the cars will be leaked, but also official comments that offer indications. Mattia Binotto was asked what the 2023 Ferrari Formula 1 car will be like. The team principal of course did not want reveal anything significant, but Mattia Binotto did not completely avoid these questions anyway. The development and the budget cap will be topics of internal discussions at Maranello, but to those who are already thinking about a Ferrari car which would be a copy of Red Bull or Mercedes, the Italian-Swiss engineer has responded clearly, thus immediately putting an end to these ideas:
“We will not copy anyone. The F1-75 is a great development base for us and we will stay true to our aerodynamic concept, looking to improve performance in all areas.” Particular attention will also have to be paid to the changes induced by the FIA for 2023, with the edges of the floor and the diffuser raised, which according to the Italian-Swiss engineer represent a significant change.
In this regard, Mattia Binotto was keen to underline how he has not yet understood why certain technical changes have been introduced: “These modifications were wanted by the FIA due to an issue which, I point out, no one is even talking about anymore.” – And perhaps also from that point of view, the purely political one, Ferrari certainly needs to improve in a Formula 1 that is undeniably increasingly Anglo-American orientated.
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