autoevolution
 

Scuderia Ferrari Much Better Prepared to Fight for F1 Title Than in 2018, Says Team Boss

It’s been a rough few years for Ferrari in Formula 1. While they may not have struggled as much as other teams, they’ve also not been able to keep up with either Mercedes or Red Bull, even though the Scuderia did show strong pace back in 2018 when they still had Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen.
Scuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in action 6 photos
Photo: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office
Scuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in actionScuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in actionScuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in actionScuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in actionScuderia Ferrari F1-75 car in action
That being said, today’s car looks just as competitive as that SF71H model from 2018, if not more so. Back then, Vettel won five races in the first half of the season and looked set to challenge Lewis Hamilton all the way to the end for a title. However, following the summer break, Mercedes distanced themselves from their Italian rivals by out developing them.

More of the same happened the year before, when Vettel led in the Driver’s Standings the first 12 rounds, only to fall behind yet again after the summer.

Ferrari’s 2022 campaign has gotten off to a stellar start, with the team snatching a 1-2 win in Bahrain, followed by another podium finish for both its drivers in Saudi Arabia. In fact, team principal Mattia Binotto feels as though this 2022 team is in a much better place to fight for a title than back in 2017 or 2018, reports Motorsport.

“I think for car design, we have improved our tools, which are wind tunnel methodologies, processes and the simulator. And I think as of today, we are much better prepared compared to the past to do the proper job as well in development,”
he said during a recent interview.

“Compared to that time, today we’ve got as well a budget [cap], which will influence the rate of development and I think that is a key point, a key element.”

Binotto then added that it will take several races for his team to bring the first batch of significant updates to the F1-75 racer, which means we shouldn’t expect any major changes to the car that lines up on the grid in Melbourne this upcoming weekend.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories