After a hotly contested start to the season, Red Bull seems to have taken a slight advantage over Ferrarias evidenced by the two consecutive victories of Max Verstappen over the last two Grands Prix. Without any big improvement made since the start of the season, the Scuderia prefers to see in the long term. The Italian team thinks that with the budget capped (to the tune of $140 million in 2022), the overspending of its rival at the start of the season will cost it dearly at the end of the year, when all the budget dedicated to development will have been used.
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari team principal, explains this inversion in the hierarchy by the latest developments made at Red Bull since Imola. But the Italian doesn’t think Christian Horner’s men will be able to keep up with that pace without breaking the budget cap.
“It is true that Red Bull have improved their car compared to the start of the season, they have made improvements”explains Binotto. “If I look at the last two races they are probably a few tenths ahead of us on a lap. Now I have no doubt that to keep up the pace we need to develop and introduce improvements I hope, because there is the budget cap, that Red Bull will stop their development at some point, otherwise I won’t understand how they do this.”
Mattia Binotto, director of Scuderia Ferrari.
The Italian team, which leads the constructors championship for six small points, should bring its first major evolutions in Barcelona, in two weeks. Binotto is aware of this: these improvements will be essential to relaunch Ferrari in the race for titles.
“In the next races it will be at least our turn to try to develop the car as much as possible, introducing improvements”shares the Italian. “I think it’s no surprise to anyone, we should have a package at Barcelona which will be important for us. As usual, I hope this package works out the way we want it to, which might be good in this case, with the aim of bridging the gap we have seen with Red Bull.”
After five Grands Prix in 2022 without major changes, Ferrari seems to be very selective regarding the parts to improve. According to the team boss, it is the capped budget that makes the team think twice before launching an improvement. “We don’t have the means to develop improvements at each race”he said. “It’s that simple. Not because we can’t, but because of the budget cap. We have to, to some extent, try to focus on development when we think it’s going to happen. act at the right time and the right expense.”
Asked regarding the attack plan for the rest of the season, Binotto wouldn’t reveal what his team has in store: “We won’t say what we’re going to do.”
