Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has admitted the Italian giants are in pole position to compete for a championship as they seek a first Formula 1 world title since 2008.
Binotto suggested that while Ferrari had ‘lost ground’ on their rivals in previous seasons, the development of their challenger for the 2022 campaign has proved to be a resounding success. The Scuderia currently lead both championships, with Charles Leclerc leading the Drivers’ Championship as Carlos Sainz sits in second.
Ferrari challenged Mercedes for the title between 2017 and 2019 but the Silver Arrows emerged victorious on each occasion. With a new era of regulations in F1 now in place, the Italian giants have the opportunity to lead the grid in 2022 if they can develop the F1-75 correctly.
“Keeping up the level on a long season is a challenge, not just for us but all the teams,” said Binotto. “It’s true that our competitors have very strong development; in 2017 and 2018 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.”
Ferrari, as well as their customer teams Alfa Romeo and Haas, also appear to have a competitive power unit. Binotto admitted the new and improved engine power is a huge boost, particularly with Mercedes’ early season struggles.
“Last year we had a disadvantage and we tried to catch up and now we are more in line,” the 52-year-old added. “In the first two races, so far it seems the difference is very little – and we are reaching a convergence.
“Where [the engine] was a disadvantage for us last year, it isn’t anymore.”
F1 heads to Melbourne next weekend for the first Australian Grand Prix since 2019. With speculation suggesting rivals Red Bull and Mercedes are set to bring ‘significant upgrades’ Down Under, Binotto insisted it is unlikely Ferrari will do the same.
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He believes his team did not dramatically alter their car design between the Barcelona and Bahrain pre-season testing sessions, unlike their rivals. Binotto is also aware of the budget cap, one of the new regulation changes for 2022.
“It’s not just a matter of when we will be ready but a matter of budget caps, making sure we are not spending all we have got in the first races,” concluded the Ferrari boss. “We are not expecting significant upgrades for the next race in Melbourne, but as soon as we can bring something, we will do it.”
The 22-race 2022 campaign - which is expected to return to 23 races in the near future once a Russian Grand Prix replacement is found - continues with the Australian Grand Prix on April 10.
