The two main topics of discussion after the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix were those relating to the porpoising effect and the reliability of Scuderia Ferrari. In fact, the Maranello team left Baku with a painful double retirement, which has made things difficult in the fight with Red Bull for the world titles. In the drivers ‘championship, Charles Leclerc is now third ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, 34 points behind Max Verstappen, while in the constructors’ championship the Prancing Horse is 80 points behind Red Bull.
For Ferrari there is little time to change anything ahead of the next race, given that the Canadian Grand Prix is already scheduled for Sunday and therefore the men led by Mattia Binotto will have to quickly find a solution for the power unit and the hydraulic system that stopped the two drivers in the early stages of the Baku race. For Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, who worked as team principal for Renault and previously as managing director of Benetton and recently returned as ambassador / head of hospitality, one must be strict about what happened to the Maranello cars, but also try to see the glass half full given the circumstances.
“You have to see where Ferrari comes from. I believe that this year the team took a huge step forward on the engine side, they could only complete a few km in preparation for the new season, I think the team that did the least km, and in the long run, reliability can be affected.” – Flavio Briatore underlined in a recent interview for Italian radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento:
“The negative thing is that when there is the possibility of winning as in Monte Carlo, which is not an engine Grand Prix and where strategies were wrong, you have to materialize it. In Baku the strategies were done well, Charles Leclerc’s pit stop timing was perfect, but the engine didn’t hold up. Other teams using the Ferrari power unit also had problems, so it can be said that this aggressive development of the engine has led Ferrari to be more competitive, but now it has an engine reliability problem. Let’s remember where Ferrari was last year, let’s see where it is this year: at one point it took a giant step, but at this moment reliability is essential. Not finishing races is a disaster, it means giving away 43 points. I’m sorry because having Ferrari in competition with Red Bull is fantastic for the fans, for the whole of Formula 1 and for everyone. So, let’s hope it doesn’t risk becoming a bit of a walk for Red Bull.” – Flavio Briatore added.
The Italian manager, however, wants to cheer up the fans of the Red team: “But let’s see the glass half full: it’s a disaster, but at least until now Ferrari was in competition with Red Bull. Charles Leclerc is able to challenge Max Verstappen, last year he was fighting with McLaren and Alpine. So we must also appreciate the effort made by Ferrari, but of course, if there is no reliability, everything falls apart. Mistakes of strategy? Ferrari has a culture of victories, there are many people in the team who fought for the titles. The pressure is there when you lose, not when you win.”
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“The mistake made in Monte Carlo is frankly incredible, because with two cars in front it was enough to keep Charles Leclerc in front, who had earned pole position, and Carlos Sainz could do 10-15 laps at a second slower and no one would have passed. Fernando Alonso had engine problems, Lewis Hamilton was 4 ″ faster and did not pass. It’s hard to understand why these mistakes are made. The car is very strong, I would not give up. I am convinced that Ferrari can still have a say this year, maybe they won’t win the world championship they will be there to fight for it.” – he continued.
When asked about the Maranello team’s current drivers, Flavio Briatore said that Charles Leclerc “is at Verstappen’s level“, while Carlos Sainz “is a step behind his team mate“, while adding that Sergio Perez “is a surprise, a fantastic number 2.”
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