The Italian squad and McLaren were involved in a close battle for third place in the constructors’ championship throughout the 2021 season, with Ferrari clearly leading the way in the last few races following the introduction of an engine upgrade.
Ferrari has a 39.5 point lead over McLaren in the last two races and appears destined to return to the top three teams in F1.
Sealing a P3 championship result would, according to Binotto, be due to the collective improvements that Ferrari has made as a team throughout the season.
“We never really developed the current car,” said Binotto. “We introduced a few developments right at the start of the season and that was it.
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“Except for the engine later, but the engine was again a development with a view to 2022. All of our efforts from the start of the season were focused on the 2022 car and we never compromised it.
“It never crossed our minds at some point to try to punish 2022 in favor of 2021.
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“We knew we could have been fighting for third place at the beginning of this season, we knew it could be very close, but our main goal in 2021 was not third place, but improving in every detail as a team and the third place “will simply be the output of it.
“If we get third, it’s because the team; The way they work on the different weekends has certainly improved a lot since the start of the season, and not because the car itself has evolved over the season. ”
Binotto says “a lot of strides” have been made across Ferrari’s F1 organization since the team slipped to sixth in the constructors’ championship last year.
“[We have] We have made great strides in terms of strategy, our management, communication with the drivers and understanding of what we are doing, ”said Binotto. “The tire management has improved a lot.
“I think that since Paul Ricard, the team has developed a lot of little tools and methods to try to do better.
“Of course the championship is not over yet, there are still two races to go and we are concentrating on doing our best,” he added.
“But when I look at where we were last year – sixth, very few points in the championship – we made the most of the current regulations.
“Overall, I think the team has made great strides in what was possible and I’m so happy about that because yes, third place is a great result of the effort.
