In Mexico comes another bitter bite for the Ferrari, off the podium and supplanted by Mercedes. Everyone is wondering if he can get one last victory in 2022 but in reality another rather relevant question is if he will be able to keep his second position in the constructors' championship. Mercedes seemed like Ferrari at the beginning of the season, the antagonist of Red Bull, while Ferrari is "the best of the others", as if we had gone back to exactly one year ago.
A step backwards rather than one forward, and the most popular question now is: what will become of 2023 given that the closer we get the more we find a solid Red Bull, a Mercedes in rebirth and a Ferrari that seems lost. If once the problem was identifiable in tire management, today it seems to lack precisely that speed and power so exalted at the start of the season.
Binotto: “We will need these races”
The weekend in Mexico is for Leclerc which for Sainz was characterized by problems with the Power Unit and perhaps, the fact that we finished the race with both cars can be considered as a victory. There are still two races to go, considering the sprint they would become 3 again, but Ferrari could be penalized again. Definitely with Sainz given that the turbo change on car number 55 was expected for this weekend, but which didn't arrive. Understanding today's problem is difficult, but the team will have two weeks to prepare for Brazil. Mattia binotto didn't follow the team to Mexico this weekend, but lo and behold his hot commentary on the race:
"It was a difficult weekend, it was already yesterday in qualifying but even more so today. For some races we've been suffering more on Sundays than on Saturdays, and it showed once again, so it was a difficult race for us, all to analyze, but it's clear that this is not the result we'd like to see in track. Having said that, I think these races will also help us understand what our limits are and where to focus." Mattia Binotto said to the microphones of sky sports f1.
Several problems
We returned to the "we must try to understand“, find that thread in a maze that has clues on one side and traps on another. Mattia Binotto still clearly doesn't have an answer on what happened today, but he doesn't hide that there were many problems over the weekend, not just one.
"We were convinced, and still are, that the starting strategy, therefore starting with the reds and then going to the yellows, was the best choice. Today I believe that with any strategy our result would not have changed, we didn't have the speed to catch those in front. We suffered from the Power Unit throughout the weekend but this is only one aspect, given that we also suffered from the car. We lacked traction, the budget. The reason will obviously have to be analyzed and improved, but at the moment there is no single or certain answer and I think there are more than one factor. "
Feelings for Brazil
The next race will be in a couple of weeks, in Brazil. Here are Binotto's sensations. “I hope that Ferrari from the beginning of the season will return to Brazil, because these races also help us to be able to react. We experienced another of these difficult races in Belgium, after which we reacted, so I certainly hope to confront each other in these two weeks and to find better solutions for the last two races of the season, therefore also Abu Dhabi.” Finally, on the rumor about the possible change of Power Unit components for Sainz in Brazil Mattia Binotto says that "It is not excluded".
Statement source: Sky Sport F1
