The Ferrari F1-75 car, which impressed in the pre-season testing sessions and the opening rounds of the 2022 Formula 1 season, thanks to its abilities of finding the set-up immediately and being easy to configure, is no longer enough, as could be clearly seen in the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome.
The F1-75 needs to improve and it can only do so with upgrades. Charles Leclerc’s magic in qualifying – and not even Carlos Sainz’s positive performance, as he managed to defend third place from Sergio Perez, are no longer enough to defeat Max Verstappen. The ease with which the Ducthman overtook the Monegasque after nine laps, and the way he was able to defend in the final part of the Miami Grand Prix, are clear proofs that Ferrari needs to improve the car and it needs to do it quickly. It was said that tire management would be key in Miami and it did.
Red Bull was also superior in this respect, Charles Leclerc was unable to defend himself even with the new engine just fitted, as soon as his title-rival reached a distance where he was able to use the drag reducing system. Christian Horner’s team is two tenths ahead per lap, the estimate was by Mattia Binotto at the end of the race in Florida.
In Miami, Ferrari may have also paid for the choice to focus on a more aerodynamically loaded set-up to favor handling and prevent tire degradation. The new smaller rear wing, initially chosen for the Miami Grand Prix, was not used by the Maranello team. The reason? Mattia Binotto explains: “When we arrived in America we saw the conditions of the asphalt, it was very rough, and we realized that it was not the ideal solution, we had to focus on tire degradation first rather than speed on the straight. From our simulations it was the right decision” – the Ferrari boss explained.
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