With the 2022 Formula 1 season almost upon us – complete with revolutionary new cars – let’s look at the two key questions facing every team. Next on the list: Ferrari.
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Will Ferrari shake off its checkered history of ‘new regulations’?
Two of F1’s biggest rule overhauls in recent years – namely 2009 and 2014 – did not go down well for Ferrari.
In 2009, fresh from the 2008 Constructors win and tantalizingly close to the Drivers, F1’s switch to ‘thin’ aero rules for 2009 seemed to get Ferrari on their toes.
The F60 failed to finish in the top 10 in its first three races and won just once this year, compared to its predecessor’s eight wins – although Felipe Massa’s horrific accident in Hungary and Kimi Raikkonen’s ice cream-flavored boredom didn’t help.
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The F60 was not Ferrari’s finest hour – and they fared no better when the next sweeping rule changes emerged
Ferrari would finish fourth in the constructors’ championship in 2009, a final position they achieved in 2014 when F1 switched to V6 turbo-hybrid powertrains and Ferrari produced the unrivaled F14 T – the first Cavallino Rampante not to win a race since 1993.
And that’s despite Ferrari having a top-notch technical team with the likes of James Allison, Rory Byrne and Pat Fry and an All-Champion driver pairing of Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.
Now there is no doubt that Ferrari have steadily improved since their recent low in 2020 and there is a palpable positive vibe at Maranello. But Ferrari false dawns are not uncommon – and after a strong end to 2021, Scuderia is hoping there are no signs of regression when the rules change dramatically for 2022.
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The Scuderia’s last championship was in 2008, but it showed significant progress in 2021
Can Scuderia return to their 2019 form?
Let’s be positive for a minute. Yes, Ferrari made profits in 2021. But more importantly, those gains have been tied in large part to advances in the power unit, advances that may well continue into 2022. This is a solid rock for the Scuderia to build their 2022-shaped house on.
Singapore 2019 was the last time a Ferrari won in Formula 1. The team enjoyed a purple ‘post-summer break’ patch this year in which they took six poles and won three races. Getting back to that level of performance – the red cars that show up at a race weekend and are counted among the favorites – is where Ferrari would very much like to find themselves in 2022.
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Charles Leclerc hopes to relive the results of a brilliant first season with Ferrari in 2019
Advances in power units have been reflected in infrastructure improvements at Maranello, with the team’s state-of-the-art simulator now online and ready to help Ferrari develop its new car.
Add to that a driver line-up of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who team boss Mattia Binotto has rightly called the best in the business, and the hope is that after a difficult few years, Ferrari is finally back on track.
Let’s see where these red cars – coming out on February 17th – find themselves when we arrive in Bahrain on March 20th for the inaugural Grand Prix, shall we?
