After the Italian team beat McLaren last year and took third place in the constructors’ championship, the Italian team wants to benefit from the extensive overhaul of Formula 1 for the coming season to move closer to the top of the grid.
Much of its recent underperformance from Mercedes and Red Bull has to do with its power unit, but the introduction of an improved hybrid system in 2021 has produced successful profits.
Ferrari is hoping to narrow the gap further with its main rivals with its 2022 car, which will be launched in mid-February ahead of the first pre-season test in Barcelona at the end of next month.
“When I look at the 2022 car and the 2022 engine, believe me that there is a lot of innovation in it,” said Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto.
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“I think the entire engineering team has certainly been more open than before to the new design, project and regulations for 2022, which were a huge discontinuity.
“I can measure it myself by looking at the car myself, how it is developing, and certainly by the amount of innovation we have put into it.”
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In addition to an updated hybrid concept, Ferrari has worked hard to develop a new V6 internal combustion engine for its 2022 challenger.
“The unit is very different from the current one, with the exception of the hybrid,” added Binotto.
“We introduced it for the hybrid in 2021 because we expected the rules from 2022.
“There will be some changes to the hybrid system for 2022, initially for the regulations, as more sensors from the FIA are needed in all systems for better police work. But the overall system is very similar to what we have and what we rode at the end of the season.
“But the rest, especially with the internal combustion engine, I have to say, is clearly different. We have a new fuel, namely 10 percent ethanol, which somehow has changed the way it burns a lot.
“We’re all losing more or less 20 hp, which means that the combustion itself is somehow different. So there were many possibilities in the development of the unit and we changed it quite a bit. “
Binotto revealed that major changes had also been made “under the body”.
“I think we were really open-minded about the exercise,” he said.
“And when you look at the vehicle concept, what was possible or not, it’s not just the outer shapes, but everything you could have done under the body, the layout, the chassis design in relation to the overall architecture, including the good the unit and its architecture.
“I think the team has produced significant innovations and the overall design that we are finalizing now is very different from the 2021 project.”
