Second place is in danger for Scuderia Ferrari, with just one round until the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season. Following the one-two finish in the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit, Mercedes reduced the gap to the Maranello team in the Constructors Championship to just 19 points. That can still be recovered in the final race next weekend in Abu Dhabi. It would be a bitter outcome for Ferrari to finish third in a season that started with the best car on the grid and legitimate title hopes.
In the first half of the season, the F1-75 was the fastest car on most circuits, but the Italian side was not able to capitalize on the speed of its challenger due to a series of bad strategic decisions and power unit reliability issues.
In the second part of the year, the trend has been clear. Since the Belgian Grand Prix, the Red Bull RB18 became the best car on the grid, while starting with the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes also had a better package than the Maranello team. In Austin, the Brackley team introduced an upgrade and reduced the weight of the W13 by about five kilograms. In total, they gained a few tenths of a second. Ferrari, on the other hand, stopped developing the F1-75 a long time ago. The red cars were last fitted with an updated floor in Japan.
No more budget for updates
Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is therefore not surprised that Mercedes overtook his team – and that the Silver Arrows won their first race of the season in Brazil. He even takes their success as an opportunity to taunt the competition a bit. “Mercedes could have won the last few races if they had chosen the right tires.” Mattia Binotto therefore wanted to point out that Ferrari is not the only one who makes strategic mistakes.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
He is referring to the races in Austin and Mexico. In the USA, Lewis Hamilton drove the last part of the race with hard tyres, while Max Verstappen overtook him on the mediums. In Mexico, Red Bull generally drove a level of softer tires – and contrary to Mercedes’ expectations, they made it over the distance with a pit stop.
While Mercedes continued to improve its car throughout the second part, nothing new came from Ferrari. “It’s not a choice we made voluntarily. We just ran out of money,” Mattia Binotto justifies. Ferrari has exhausted the budget cap. The technical department in Maranello was no longer able to introduce any updates. “We can’t afford the extra cost of producing the parts.” – the Ferrari boss confirmed in Brazil.
Leave a Reply