Mattia Binotto points out "Mercedes lost last few races by picking the wrong tyres"

Scuderia Ferrari’s 2022 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was straightforward, but unfortunately not in a positive way. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc made the most of the package they had for this weekend, which was severely limited by the power unit. On Sunday, as indeed was also the case over the rest of the weekend, the F1-75 car did not have the pace to match that of Red Bull and Mercedes in the Mexican Grand Prix.

Carlos Sainz defended his fifth place at the start, while his Maranello teammate Charles Leclerc gained a position by overtaking the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas, who had started in front of him on the grid. It was clear from the first few laps that the two F1-75 cars could not keep in touch with the leaders, while still been clearly quicker than the rest of the field, which led to a lonely Grand Prix for both drivers, who had no opportunity to move up the field. Carlos and Charles‘ only reward was a total of 18 points, which keep a certain distance over Mercedes in the fight for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.

Formula 1 now has a weekend off before the season continues with the last two rounds, a double-header starting that includes the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on 13 November, followed by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Scuderia Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto shares his thoughts on the events which took place in the Mexican Grand Prix, also wanting to point out that Mercedes made a strategy mistake at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and therefore missed out on a good chance to take their first win of the season:

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“At the moment, we don’t have any answers or explanation. It was a difficult weekend. Obviously we want better, but these races will help us understand the limits and where to focus.” – the Ferrari boss, when asked about the poor result in Mexico City for the Italian side.

“In Hungary, we were criticised for using the hard tyres. It always happens when we do something wrong. But Mercedes have lost the last few races by picking the wrong tyres. It is not just up to us to choose between different tyres with the risk of making mistakes.” – Mattia Binotto added, hinting at Mercedes’ decision to start the Mexican Grand Prix on mediums to then change to the hards for both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, a strategy which did not seem ideal, as the tyre degradation levels were lower than expected and the race could be completed with a soft-medium strategy option.