With the Red Bulls down in 10th and 11th place and behind a car that had not won a single race in the 2022 Formula 1 season, Ferrari started the Hungarian Grand Prix in second and third.
But by the time the race was through, Red Bull had won with Max Verstappen, and Ferrari had finished last with Carlos Sainz down in fourth and title challenger Charles Leclerc in sixth. This was largely due to a plan that had failed.
The 2022 Formula One season has seen plenty of terrible days for Ferrari as it went from an early championship lead to the far-off position it currently finds itself in. Was this catastrophe the worst thus far?
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Are Ferrari’s F1 engines the best in 2022?
Many have suggested that Ferrari has created the best power unit for 2022 after a streak of successful Ferrari-powered teams at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Following the Scuderia’s 1-2 finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Haas’ Ferrari-powered VF-22 finished fifth with Kevin Magnussen, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner claims Ferrari presently has the best engine on the 2022 F1 grid.
Ferrari was largely considered to have had the greatest engine during the 2019 season, but after an FIA inquiry into the legality of their power unit, they suffered greatly in 2020.
With this year’s F1 power units having to make the initial adaptations to run on E10 fuels, the Prancing Horse appears to have reclaimed the top spot in 2022.
Ferrari reportedly made up the horsepower disadvantage caused by the change in fuel composition before the season even began, according to reports from Italy, and Steiner is certain that the Scuderia’s victory in Bahrain was no fluke.
“That gives them a lot of respect because they were in our shoes, they had to take a lot of crap about [their performance], and they just did their homework and came back with something really amazing.”
Strategic Brain Teasers
In 2022, Ferrari has taken the lead eight times, but just four of those starts have resulted in victory. Only a small number of them races, like the Miami race, were decided by the Ferrari F1-performance 75’s vs the Red Bull RB18.
Leclerc’s chances of winning three races have been significantly reduced due to the incorrect approach.
- In Monaco, Leclerc took the lead in the wet conditions but was overtaken at the first stop, a service that Ferrari should not have provided because Leclerc wanted to keep running on wet tires, and at his second stop, he was mistakenly brought in on the same lap as teammate Carlos Sainz, which caused a delay. Fourth became first.
- Leclerc battled his way to the front of the race in Britain, but Ferrari held him out on worn Hard tires during a late Safety Car period as Sainz and the drivers directly behind him switched to new Soft tires. Despite his best efforts and defensive masterclass, Leclerc dropped to fourth because the newer, softer rubber was more faster. Sainz triumphed, but confused thinking cost Ferrari a 1-2 finish.
- Then there was Hungary. Ferrari put Leclerc, the leader, on the Hard tires for his third stint but grossly overestimated the difficulty of the compound due to the unusually cool weather. Even though they hadn’t used the tire during Friday practice and competitors had had a difficult time on it earlier in the race, they decided to go with the white-banded compound. Leclerc saw his issue right away and berated the tire’s performance as he lost the lead and enough time that Softs needed to make a third pit stop, dropping him to sixth. Leclerc was adamant that Ferrari had the speed to win after the race, while team manager Mattia Binotto expressed his opinion that a victory was not conceivable under any scenario. The reason Ferrari choose a tire that wasn’t working didn’t seem to be as important as why the car couldn’t make the tire work.
Leclerc had a potential 75 points over those three Grands Prix reduced to just 30. In reaction to criticism, Binotto has displayed composure, and he is right to refrain from criticizing the squad. Behind the scenes, it would be reckless to avoid having serious discussions about the team’s strategy and its important decisions made under duress.
Ferrari believes there is no reason why it cannot take home the title this year if it wins the final 10 Formula 1 races.
Due to a recent confluence of engine issues, strategy mistakes, and driver errors, the Maranello team and its early title leader Charles Leclerc have found themselves severely behind.
Max Verstappen was able to win yet another race as a result of Leclerc’s most recent error, spinning out of the lead during the French Grand Prix.
Due to his victory, the Dutchman now leads the drivers’ standings by 63 points, and his Red Bull team leads the constructors’ standings by 82 points.
The distance may appear large, but it is not insurmountable. According to Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, all that remains for his team to do is aim for victory in each of the remaining races.
Binotto pondered whether the Italian team’s title prospects now depended on Red Bull faltering “If you had asked me before this race what the gap to Red Bull or Max was, I couldn’t have responded because I’m not looking, therefore I don’t know how many points I have.
“We are aiming to attend every race and obtain the best results possible, so that is our main goal. Although it didn’t occur here at Paul Ricard, I believe our attention is already on Hungary and our upcoming trip there for a 1-2.
“At the end of the season, we will make the calculations and let’s see where we are,” the driver said, “and I think every single race counts [the same] as the others.”
Leclerc appears to be on track to win in France, and Ferrari’s vehicle has shown to be incredibly quick, according to Binotto, giving the team the impression that they may put together an impressive run.
“I believe the good package is what’s more important to view,” he said. “From here until the conclusion, there is no reason why you shouldn’t win 10 races.
“I believe that a positive perspective is the best course of action, and I enjoy maintaining my optimism. Could Max and Red Bull experience some sort of calamity? They experienced the same thing as we did. Maybe that also occurs.
But I’m not counting on that; I believe we should put ourselves first and work hard.
While Binotto is convinced that the Monegasque’s pace is such that things might change very rapidly, Leclerc was left reckoning the cost for the error that cost him the French GP.
Charles has heard me say that although things are more challenging, they are still manageable. “And if we succeed in turning it into a victory in the end, we will simply enjoy it more.
“In every race, we need to maintain our concentration. We always had a lot of promise, if I go back on the most recent races. Although the results weren’t the best in terms of championship points, there is now no reason why it cannot happen in the next ten races.
Ferrari
Ferrari was certain it had found a fix for the problems teams were having with bouncing on the straights even during testing in Bahrain.
However, a modified floor on the F1-75 appears to have had the desired outcome for the Italian team. Up and down the grid, the stays attached at the back of the floor have been the preferred choice.
Despite the fact that Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were considerably more at ease driving down the straights than the Mercedes drivers, the Ferrari hasn’t lost any of its preseason speed.
A key factor in achieving laptime with these new vehicles is the ability to drive the car lower to the ground to retain the attachment of air and maximize the downforce created without the car bouncing.
What changes did Ferrari make in 2022?
When compared to the cars Red Bull and Mercedes only had for the second test in Bahrain, its debut vehicle was possibly several weeks in the making. Ferrari was able to structure its usage of its 2022 development budget on having a cleanly finished car design that it could be confidently use to start the season.
Why does Ferrari rule Formula 1?
A significant portion of this success may be attributed to Ferrari’s massive financial resources, which are unmatched by any other team thanks to the support of sponsors Shell and key stakeholder Fiat.
Ferrari F1 2022: Is it faster than Mercedes?
Ferrari and Red Bull have “inherently faster cars” than Mercedes, according to George Russell. During Friday’s practice sessions for the 2022 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, George Russell bemoans the performance of his vehicle, claiming that competitors Ferrari and Red Bull have a “inherently faster car” than Mercedes.
Ferrari is more nimble this year; why?
Calm down, please. Prior to Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is channeling his inner Scouser and downplaying the team’s impressive start to the season.
A health warning is issued to a team when managing success and failure since both elicit strong emotional reactions.
In the years before, Binotto had gotten more experienced in the latter. Though it is of the loud sort, his instinct to modulate the response to what is ultimately only one result is smart. He explained that Jeddah “may be a completely different scenario and I think we need to wait at least four or five races to assess.”
The Bahraini track is noticeably rough, which exacerbates the heavy strain on the brakes and tires already put under duress by the unique features of the Sakhir circuit. Despite having the superior top speed, the Red Bull’s brakes and tires overheated, forcing Max Verstappen to slow down.
In contrast, the Ferrari had faster acceleration out of the turns, demonstrating the strength and torque of an engine that is regarded as the grid’s top performer. Binotto is a product of the Ferrari engine division. Ferrari was able to concentrate on the construction of the 2022 unit significantly earlier because they were not involved in a title race last year. Some claim Ferrari had an advantage over Mercedes and Red Bull by three months.
The end result is a power unit that completely different from the one that debuted in the previous season and works well with the new, environmentally friendly gasoline adopted this season. Some people think that the modifications that engine designers must make to accommodate fuel with 10% ethanol, which operates at higher temperatures, are just as dramatic as the switch to ground force aerodynamics. Ferrari appeared to have perfected both the engine and the aerodynamic components, avoiding any of the porpoising stress that is the cause of Mercedes’s tardy start.
Engine constraints that have halted development for the next four years, essentially baking in any potential power advantage, have helped Ferrari even more. Gasoline pump problems caused by the new fuel have been blamed for the power failures that struck both Red Bull vehicles in Bahrain.
Due to a shortage of development time, it is believed that Red Bull lacked insufficient understanding of the power unit’s behavior on low fuel. Red Bull had not planned for the pump issue in relation to the new fuel characteristics at the end of a long stint because comprehensive race simulations had not been done during preseason testing.
Fundamentally speaking, the Red Bull is quicker than the Ferrari in Bahrain through the speed trap. This is not to imply that Ferrari is inherently slower; rather, Sakhir’s setup decisions favored acceleration above peak speed. Leclerc’s ability to overtake Verstappen into turn four in Bahrain after momentarily giving up the lead through turn one on successive laps demonstrated the effectiveness of that way of thinking.
The performance of these prototype animals is influenced by a wide range of variables. Depending on the circuit, the needs can vary. In Bahrain, Ferrari hit the perfect spot. Red Bull tripped over the carefully calibrated stress points.
Binotto is therefore correct to reserve judgment until the vehicles have been tested on a variety of courses and layouts. However, it’s possible that Ferrari was operating in a more conservative mode and had more power to release. Thus, Binotto’s modesty might be hiding a true statement that is constructive rather than destructive. Jeddah will provide additional information, either way.