Former Ferrari F1 driver Jean Alesi managed to catch a glimpse of the Scuderia’s new car ahead of its launch, and is impressed with the work that has gone on at Maranello over the winter.
Ferrari unveiled their 2022 challenger on Thursday, and team principal Mattia Binotto said they believe it will be competitive enough to allow them to fight for wins.
Formula 1’s technical regulations are drastically changing this season, with the ground effect coming back into force in a massive aerodynamic swing.
The tyres have increased in size by five inches to 18, and the engines are expected to generate slighly less power due to a new, more sustainable fuel blend that teams will be mandated to use.
Together with their partners Shell, the Scuderia have developed a fuel blend made up of 90 percent fossil fuels, and they are reported to have recovered the 20-horsepower drop.
For the time being, the effectiveness of of their aerodynamic package is uncertain, and due to the colossal nature of the regulation changes, nothing is likely to be truly known until the first race of the season in Bahrain.
Speaking ahead of the car launch, Alesi described the new Ferrari as a “marvel,” and is optimistic that it can help them challenge Mercedes and Red Bull this season.
“Formula 1 is changing almost 100 percent of its technical regulations, so the cars are going to be quite impressive,” he told Canal Plus.
“I saw the Ferrari earlier. It is a real marvel, very, very slim, with a bit of a sophisticated nose.
“The car is already impressive, and I hope it will go as fast to join the two [best] teams we had last year with Mercedes and Red Bull.”
Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has recently suggested that his team will be applying updates to the car before the pre-season tests in Barcelona and Sakhir, and reckons that due to the new regulations, every team will want to reveal the entirety of their work over the winter at the very last moment.
The race winner in 1995 with the Maranello outfit recognises that Red Bull are still to showcase their machine in full, but insists that the Ferrari will be a surprise upon its release.
“Honestly, the car is a gem. Red Bull is nothing special because it’s a show car, but Ferrari is going to be a shock.”
The 16-time constructors’ champions will continue to line up with Sainz and Charles Leclerc in 2022, and will aim to break into the top two having ended third in last year’s Constructors’ Standings.