Ferrari will need to be consistently competitive in the final 10 races of 2022 if they are to beat Max Verstappen and Red Bull in the world championship fights, according to former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa.
De la Rosa’s F1 career started with the Arrows team in 1999 and he last raced in the sport for HRT in 2012. The Spaniard’s only podium came with McLaren at the 2006 F1 Hungarian GP, most famous for Jenson Button’s first F1 win with BAR Honda starting from P14.
2006 HUNGARY
JENSON BUTTON WINS! A day of utter mayhem sees Pedro de la Rosa clinch his only podium & Heidfeld take BMW Sauber’s 1st podium.
Alonso crashes out with wheelnut failure, whilst Michael Schumacher’s collision damage sees him end up 8th, failing to capitalize #F1
2006 HUNGARYJENSON BUTTON WINS! A day of utter mayhem sees Pedro de la Rosa clinch his only podium & Heidfeld take BMW Sauber’s 1st podium. Alonso crashes out with wheelnut failure, whilst Michael Schumacher’s collision damage sees him end up 8th, failing to capitalize #F1 https://t.co/8CpLLW0i8f
Ferrari have been aggressive with the development of their Power Unit (PU) this season and this has been reflected in their qualifying results. The Prancing Horse’s reliability over race distances, however, has been woeful, costing them wholesale points on occasion this season.
Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have already exceeded their PU component allowances and taken a host of penalties each once this season already. The pair have also made costly individual errors to their and the team’s subsequent detriment.
With their back up against the wall in the battle against Red Bull, who hold a sizeable lead in the Constructors’ Championship standings, the Scuderia need to string a run of one-two finishes, according to de la Rosa.
In an interview with racingnews365.com ahead of the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, the Spaniard said:
“Ferrari have to be aggressive from now on. The only way to stop Max [Verstappen] is for Charles [Leclerc] and Carlos [Sainz] to finish one-two in the next few races, otherwise the title is lost. It’s not just about the 63-point deficit, but also that they are fighting Verstappen and Red Bull. They have a similar package to Ferrari, but are more reliable, and therefore it will be very difficult for Ferrari to make up those points.” 0
“The gap between Red Bull and Ferrari and the rest of the field is huge” – Pedro de la Rosa ahead of 2022 F1 Hungarian GP
The only way Red Bull can lose the 2022 F1 World Championship to the Scuderia is if they retire from the remaining races in 2022, as per Pedro de la Rosa.
According to the Spaniard, Red Bull and Ferrari’s dominance in comparison to the rest of the field is such that even with engine penalties, they can score top-five finishes in races
In the aforementioned interview with racingnews365.com, de la Rosa said:
“With a lead of 63 points, Red Bull can also play it safe. Then there comes a point where you look at the engine and change it one race earlier. You don’t want to go to the extreme. It’s better to take a grid penalty and have a fresh engine than not finish a race. You also know that with a grid penalty you can easily finish in the top five again.”
The 51-year-old went on to add, saying:
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“Red Bull can only lose the title by retiring from races. The gap between Red Bull, Ferrari, and the rest of the field is huge in terms of speed. With Mercedes, the gap is a little smaller, but they can still score great points after a grid penalty.”
Heading into the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Red Bull hold an 82-point lead over the Scuderia at the top of the World Constructors’ Championship standings. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has a 63-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the World Drivers’ Championship standings.
