(Motorsport) Mattia Binotto, Principal of the Scuderia Ferrari has reiterated his expectations from the team this season and has insisted that the legendary team are “much better prepared” to compete for the World Championship but remain wary of their rivals Red Bull and Mercedes. It was in 2008 that Ferrari last won the Constructors Championship and 2007 when they secured the Drivers’ Championship, which means that Formula 1’s most successful team in history are really optimistic about their chances this season if they can make such a bold claim after years of underachievement.
Ferrari have had a dream start in the 2022 Formula 1 season, securing 78 points from a possible 88 in the Bahrain and Saudi Grand Prix’s and are 40 points ahead of their nearest rivals. Both the Ferrari drivers have finished on the podium in the first two races and Charles Leclerc has been particularly exceptional for the Italian manufacturers, however, the concern remains if Scuderia Ferrari can maintain this momentum and develop the car further as the season progresses.
In an interview, Binotto said “For us to be there in the fight, that was our objective to start the season and we can be very pleased. Keeping up the level on a long season is a challenge, not just for us but all the teams. It's true that our competitors have very strong development. In 2017 and '18 we lost a bit of ground. But since then, in car design, we have improved our wind tunnel, technologies, processes and simulations and so today we are much better prepared than in the past to do a good job with development. We also have a budget cap which will affect the rate of development… we need to make sure we have the right policy on that, as it could be a game-changer in the fight for development.”
One of the biggest factors that have played in Ferrari’s favour are performance and reliability. Unlike their closest rivals Red Bull, both the Ferrari’s on the grid haven’t faced any reliability issues so far and have the pace to compete at the top of the grid. However, despite the optimistic signs from the season so far, Binotto insists that his team aren’t the favourites in the title race. He said “I believe Red Bull is the strongest and the favourite.”
Speaking about his competitors, Carlos Sainz said “If anything I'm impressed with the car that both Red Bull and Mercedes managed to put together, with less wind tunnel time than us, with the championship fight going on. It just shows they are two very strong teams performing at an incredible level, and at any point in the season, they can turn it up and put on a strong competition. We just need to keep our heads down and keep maximising our chances. But at the same time, I also trust the development capacity of our team. I think this year's car proves it. It's a car that is very well thought out, with some special concepts to it. So I really trust the people behind it and I'm sure we can develop."
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