Steps forward in performance…
In a year in which Ferrari has so far alternated moments of success with bitter disappointments, the team principal Mattia binotto wanted to proudly point out the great work done on the engine. 2021 had marked the pinnacle of the Honda power unit, which had allowed Max Verstappen to fight against Lewis Hamilton with a much more reliable and often even more performing car.
Casa del Cavallino, on the other hand, started 2022 carrying the weight of difficult two years also due to a underperforming engine. At the start of the season, however, she showed that she had accomplished huge steps forward which allowed Leclerc and Sainz to win four of the first 13 races. In contrast, however, reliability has deteriorated.
…but you step back in reliability
If the Spaniard could boast of being the only one to have finished all the races last season, this year he has already had to retire twice due to engine problems (Azerbaijan and Austria) as did his teammate (Spain and Azerbaijan ). Risks of the trade when trying to improve performance so much, according to Binotto.
"We are certainly paying the price for very aggressive development. It was clear that we had to push ourselves to the limit because we couldn't afford to accept a long period of unequal performance in light of the development freeze planned for 2022.".
On September 1st, in fact, the development of the engines will be frozen and changes exclusively related to reliability can be made until 2026. That season, in fact, will see the debut of the new power units without the MGU-H and with an increase in the performance of the MGU-K.
Binotto's pride: the gap with his rivals has been bridged
Binotto then goes on to say that he is very proud of the work done and of the gap filled against his Japanese rivals. “The goals we set ourselves were very ambitious. I have never seen such a quantum leap in my 27 years of work at Ferrari. It was an extraordinary achievement, especially in a period in whichTrial hours are limited. And that's what we paid for in terms of reliability."
“In normal years, we would have increased test bench hours and started parallel programs for performance and reliability. This time we had to make a choice. Now, if I count the hours we've dedicated to the new engine and compare them with the hours Honda has dedicated to their power unit, we're certainly at a disadvantage. Honda had the necessary experience because they developed an existing engine. We are doing it now, on the track and on the test bench. The goal is to fix problems as soon as possible".
STATEMENT SOURCE: Auto Motor und Sport e FormulaPassion
