Formula 1 star Carlos Sainz believes Ferrari 's failure to adapt over the course of the 2022 season proved their undoing as champions Red Bull simply "out-developed" the competition.
Charles Leclerc started off the campaign in particularly strong fashion after finishing first in two of the first races of the season (Bahrain and Australia). That ultimately accounted for half of Ferrari's four wins for the season, however, the last of which came at the Austrian Grand Prix in early July.
Sainz, 28, settled for fifth overall and finished just below George Russell despite Mercedes ' devastating issues with porpoising. Leclerc took second but was 146 points off the pace of champion Max Verstappen, and team principal Mattia Binotto paid with his job at the end of the term.
“We didn’t get a win [during the end-of-season run-in]," Sainz told reporters. "That was the target but I think, very simply, we got out-developed by Red Bull and Mercedes in the second half, which made our second half of the season relatively weaker than the first half.
“I think we know why as a team. We’re trying to put in place measures for next year to improve our development rate but also whenever we had our chances of winning, we were maybe not the strongest team at executing races. We know these are the main two targets for next season.
“On my side, I want to start the season a lot stronger, a bit more like I finished this one. Being a better driver with more knowledge and again with a lot more knowledge of this generation of cars, that should make me stronger next season.”
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Binotto was criticised by fans and pundits alike for certain race tactics and poor decision-making at different stages of the season. The Monaco Grand Prix was considered one such example of failing to convert when Leclerc and Sainz failed to clinch the win despite starting one-two on the grid.
From an engineering perspective, it's also widely believed Red Bull's team generally performed better in adapting to adversity over the course of 2022. Verstappen won nine of the final 11 races of the season despite his rocky start, while team-mate Sergio Perez accounted for one of the outliers himself.
Ferrari are still yet to appoint a successor to Binotto's throne, although sporting director Inaki Rueda has been linked with the position. Sainz and Leclerc will each target a more competitive performance whomever takes over the role, with a massive gap currently separating Red Bull from the rest of the pack.
