French engineer Laurent Mekies, who is currently working as assistant team principal and race director for Scuderia Ferrari, admitted that the Maranello team is aware of the many mistakes made during the 2022 Formula 1 season, but at the same time pointed out that they are accepting the errors as part of an ongoing strengthening process.
Laurent Mekies feels that the important progress made by Scuderia Ferrari in 2022 as compared to the previous season shows his side is on the right path, and are now working on the weaknesses that have prevented them from fighting with Red Bull for the world championships this season.
The Italian side started the current F1 campaign very strong, with two race wins for Charles Leclerc in the first three rounds, but then a combination of power unit reliability issue and strategic errors made by the pitwall led to many points being lost in the first part of the season, when the F1-75 car proved more than capable of challenging the Red Bull RB18 in terms of race pace. Unfortunately, since then Red Bull have made significant gains on the pace front and Ferrari for the moment are no longer able to fight for race wins.
As the main focus has now switched to strengthening their operations for the next championship, French engineer Laurent Mekies is confident Ferrari are carrying out the work needed to become a more threatening force for Red Bull in the neat future. In a recent interview for Channel 4 during the Monza weekend, the Ferrari race director explained that a diligent approach is being taken by the Maranello team:
“If you look at Sundays, we’ve had a few races where we didn’t have the right pace, but it was not the majority of them. We have had a few reliability issues, and we have made a few mistakes. If you add all of that, it’s simply telling us that we’ve made great steps forward this year with a faster car, but we need more work to do to be stronger all around and that’s what we are working on. It’s not the quickest thing to do. But we are, in the same way that we got where we are, trying to have the same approach to get the next steps that we still need.” – he explained.
The mistakes which cost Ferrari many points, such as the bad strategic decisions on the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco and at the Hungaroring in Budapest, as well as a few driver errors from Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have resulted in extra pressure on the Italian side as the criticism was directly aimed at team principal Mattia Binotto.
Laurent Mekies wanted to highlight the fact that given Scuderia Ferrari’s status and history, the moments like those in Monaco and Hungary are maybe amplified more than if they were made by a rival team:
“You get a lot of interest as Ferrari in general and, yes, sometimes you probably get also a lot more criticism for given actions. But I think, if you put all of that together, it’s also what makes Ferrari special. So, we take some of the downsides with a smile and we are conscious of our responsibilities, we are conscious of what the tifosi, and perhaps more, are expecting from us and we need to continue working hard and making small steps that will make us stronger.” – he explained.
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Despite the fact that Ferrari missed out on a great chance to at least fight for the title this year, after a great start to the season with wins in Bahrain and Australia, the Ferrari race director confirmed that the team is united and there is no dissent within the ranks.
Instead, it’s the complete opposite, as he pointed out that everyone within the team is working together to improve in every aspect: “You would expect me to say that but it’s a simple truth. The team is incredibly united. We have had quite a few stress tests, but Mattia, Charles, and Carlos [Sainz] – they are incredible leaders and they are 100% committed in their heart, especially to making sure that everybody keeps pulling in the same direction. Of course, we have had very difficult moments, but you will see that people are pulling in the same direction, that they are trying to help each other and they can’t wait to get the next opportunity to progress and to be stronger together.” – Laurent Mekies concluded.
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