Ferrari is the most famous and successful team in Formula 1 and has won more championships and races than anyone since the sport began in 1950. But it’s stuck in a losing streak.
This year marked its second consecutive winless season, something it has not seen since 1992 and 1993. While Mercedes and Red Bull have become the dominant teams in Formula 1, Ferrari has to catch up.
But even without victories, it was a positive year for Ferrari. The team was dejected in 2020 after struggling to finish sixth in the championship, mainly due to a poor engine. The team worked its way back to third place this year.
“The biggest sign of the rebuilding is that the team remained very united even in the darkest moments of the past year,” said Laurent Mekies, the team’s sporting director.
“We know we were faced with a huge task to change things and get out of the situation we were in. But we’ve seen progress. That gave confidence. “
To cut costs and manage the financial impact of the pandemic, teams were limited to the improvements they could make to their cars for 2021. However, Ferrari managed to fix its engine problems ahead of the new season, thus improving its results.
Mekies said Ferrari had “a very, very strong team spirit that resulted from the tremendous difficulties last year” and noted the determination of the team’s drivers, Charles Leclerc from Monaco and Carlos Sainz Jr. from Spain.
They became friends as teammates. Nicknamed the C² because Carlos was the Spanish version of Charles, they were obsessed with playing chess against each other. “We went pretty crazy,” said Leclerc.
Leclerc clinched pole position in his home race in Monaco in May but was unable to start the race after his car was damaged in a qualifying crash. An incident between championship rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen at the Great Britain Grand Prix at Silverstone in July gave Leclerc a surprising chance of victory, but Hamilton overtook him to win.
“Monaco was very frustrating because I couldn’t start the race,” said Leclerc. “Silverstone was perhaps a little less frustrating because it was such a surprise to fight for victory.”
Sainz settled in quickly and was even with Leclerc, had his best season in Formula 1, including four podiums (Leclerc had one). Sainz said he felt his confidence had grown over the season as he got used to his new surroundings.
“It helps that I’ve been here for more races,” said Sainz. “We get along and I’m now counting more points. It was definitely great to see the progress and to see our team develop, build confidence and a good dynamic. “
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said he always knew Sainz was a “very strong racer” but was delighted with his contribution to the team this year. “He always collected a lot of points in the race and earned a lot of points in the constructors’ championship,” said Binotto. “Having that as one of our main goals was important to us.”
Ferrari was aiming for third place overall that year, battling McLaren, who finished third in 2020. McLaren won in Italy that season, finishing first and second, but Ferrari was more consistent towards the end of the year to finish firmly in third.
Binotto said Ferrari feared third place may have been out of reach after McLaren’s performance in the September Italian Grand Prix. “But the team has worked consistently well, has been focused and really consistent in all races and has maximized the points that we could achieve,” he said.
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal of McLaren, called the result a “fair reflection” of the season. “Ferrari has come back strong, which is to be expected from a team like Ferrari that had a very unusual year last year.”
Leclerc called the battle for third place “a good practice as a team to cope with pressure” as he believed it had made Ferrari sharper and that “all of these things will help us when we take a step forward next year and we’re finally fighting for the title. ”
Third place may be a satisfactory result for Ferrari this year, but it won’t be in the long run. “It’s really the best we could have done this year, but we know that’s not Ferrari’s ultimate goal,” said Binotto. “Third place gives us a little serenity for the winter and tries to do a good job for next year’s car.”
There will be new technical regulations next year. The introduction of new vehicle designs with revised aerodynamics offers the opportunity to achieve major increases in performance and to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull.
Ferrari, on the other hand, decided to keep developing its 2021 car throughout the season so it could spend more time on its 2022 model. It has left its rivals who expect a strong car to come out of Maranello, Italy, where the team is headquartered, next year.
“I expect them to be very competitive next season,” said McLaren’s Lando Norris. “They had this year when they say they haven’t developed a lot and they are all focused on the next season.
“They are Ferrari for good reason and with what they have achieved in the past, I expect they will battle for wins and podiums and so on next season.”
Ferrari challenged Mercedes for the championship every season from 2017 to 2019. Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, said his team must be careful of this threat returning next year.
“They are a great unit,” said Wolff. “They have all the necessary resources, so we definitely have them on our radar.”
Leclerc agreed that 2022 would be a chance for Ferrari to fight for wins and the championship again. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to get back to where we want to be, which is to win,” he said.
