Can the rejuvenated Ferrari take the lead in the new era of F1?

Ferrari endured its worst F1 season in 40 years in 2020 as it struggled with an engine struggling with power failure following a confidential settlement with the FIA ​​over suspected legality of its 2019 powerplant. A car that had too much drag only aggravated Ferrari’s woes.

F1’s most famous team made up much of its performance deficit last year as they beat arch-rivals McLaren to third place in the 2021 constructors’ standings after a bitter seasonal battle.

Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said the success gives the Italian team “serenity” for the winter and 2022 season. The ability to jump from sixth to third place, despite focusing its development efforts largely on the 2022 rule reshuffle, made the difference Ferrari’s progress all the more impressive.

Aside from the introduction of a new engine during the season that boosted its charge to third place, Ferrari didn’t bring any other updates to maximize its 2022 challenger’s development for the new technical rules.

Despite Binotto placing so much emphasis on the overhaul of the regulations, he is keen to keep Ferrari’s hopes in check and concedes the team is unlikely to be able to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull in 2022.

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“The gap to the lead is still considerable, which shows that these teams are very strong,” said Binotto.

“The fact that we have put a lot of effort into 2022 and have that priority was a necessity for us. Because we knew that if we hadn’t done that, it would be difficult to have a good, competitive car in 2022.

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“Are we fully trusted? No, we cannot be confident. We have no references from the others. What we do know is that we put all our effort into it. Whatever we have is the best result of a team effort. And that is important to us.”

Ferrari’s upgraded powerplant for 2021 featured a revised hybrid system that resulted in a notable jump in performance.

The hybrid element will remain for 2022 as part of an all-new V6 concept that Ferrari has worked hard to develop. It is hoped that these new innovations will help Ferrari fill its remaining performance deficit.

“On the power unit, it differs significantly from the current one, with the exception of the hybrid,” he said.

“There will be some changes to the hybrid system for 2022, initially for regulations as more sensors from the FIA ​​are required in all systems for better monitoring. But the overall system is very similar to what we have and raced at the end of the season.

“But the rest, especially with the combustion engine, I have to say is significantly different. We have a new fuel, which is 10 percent ethanol, which has kind of changed how it burns a lot.

“We’re all losing 20hp more or less, which kind of means the combustion itself is quite different. So there were a lot of possibilities in developing the engine and we changed it quite a bit.”

Focus has also been placed on improving Ferrari’s tooling at its Maranello factory, including building a brand new simulator, after identifying this as a weak point compared to its rivals.

“A lot of effort has been made in terms of simulations and many new tools have been developed,” explained Binotto.

“We have a new simulator, but that’s not the only improvement, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. A lot has happened in terms of aero, wind tunnel, design calculations and tire management.

“I am very pleased with the progress in this area. [Simulation and correlation] will be a key for 2022 because as soon as we put the car on the track we will measure the behavior.

“It will be important to understand the behavior of the car and fix the weak points as quickly as possible, and that can only be done if you have good tools, simulations and correlations.”

Ferrari have another reason to be confident after a much-improved 2021 season. Binotto firmly believes that his squad, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, has the best driver line-up of any team on the current F1 grid.

Leclerc and Sainz made a formidable pair and impressed in their first season as teammates in 2021. They played a key role in Ferrari’s late rise to overtake McLaren in P3.

It’s a young but well-balanced and balanced cast. Leclerc demonstrated his exhilarating, raw, one-lap pace by taking two pole positions for Ferrari at Monaco and Baku, while four podiums underscored Sainz’s strengths on a Sunday.

A strong end to the season, including a third place finish in Abu Dhabi, allowed Sainz to overtake Leclerc by two positions and 5.5 points in the final championship standings.

But in 2022 there will be no number one driver at Ferrari. Binotto has made it clear that Leclerc and Sainz will start the year on equal footing after showing they are willing to work together for the team’s overall benefit.

“In terms of the drivers, as we’ve said many times, I think it’s the track that will dictate it,” said Binotto. “The priority is always the team, but if they can fight for an important position in the championship, it will undoubtedly be the track that shows who’s ahead.

“And sometimes I think it’s not just about driver talent or driver capacity. A driver can be very unhappy and experience damage, reliability issues or crashes.

“So I don’t think we need it at this stage and certainly we won’t have number one or number two politics. We’ll just discuss it based on track positions whenever the time comes.”

Although Binotto has downplayed Ferrari’s chances of ending the 14-year wait for a title, there is a clear determination to return to winning ways with the team’s most recent Grand Prix win at the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix.

“What will be important for us next year is to keep growing and keep closing the gap to the competition,” he said of Ferrari’s goals for the coming season. “The new regs are a clear opportunity.

“The hope is to be competitive, which means to be able to win races. Does that mean we can fight for a championship? I think when I look at today, the gap is too big. But as a Ferrari, it’s part of our DNA [to fight for wins].

“It is important to be able to fight for pole position and victory in at least a few races. This is the simple consequence of continuous growth and improvement. I would be disappointed if we hadn’t improved this year.”