It’s been a troubling first half of the season for Scuderia Ferrari, who have arguably been their own worst enemy so far in 2022.
The Italian team should be much closer than 97 points behind Red Bull Racing in the Constructors’ Championship but have faced a number of issues this season.
It’s without a doubt that Ferrari have the fastest car this year, with the F1-75 having been consistently quicker than Red Bull’s RB18 in qualifying trim.
However, all of Ferrari’s issues have come during the races, with their power unit being one of their biggest problems so far this season.
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Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have faced a number of engine failures, with Leclerc having had one whilst leading both the Spanish Grand Prix and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz suffered a dramatic failure at the Austrian Grand Prix, whilst on the verge of overtaking Max Verstappen for P2 at the Red Bull Ring, in what would’ve been a one-two for Ferrari.
Engine failures haven’t been the only issue for Ferrari, with their strategies once again leaving much to be desired.
The Italian team have made an unbelievable number of strategic errors, with Charles Leclerc usually being the victim of them.
The Monegasque driver has lost the lead in three races this season, as a result of strategic mishaps.
The most recent error came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Leclerc went from first to sixth, after being fitted with the wrong compound of tyre.
Ferrari fitted Leclerc with the Hard compound, despite Pirelli telling all the teams not to use the rubber due to the cool track temperatures.
It resulted in Leclerc having to make an additional stop, after sliding all over the circuit due to no grip.
All the problems Ferrari have endured has seen the pressure increase on team principal Mattia Binotto; however, Binotto is certain that no changes need to be made to the team.
Binotto became team principal in 2019, having been the team’s technical director for three years.
The Ferrari boss has “had to learn a job that was not meant for him”, according to former Ferrari sporting director Cesare Fiorio.
Binotto has revealed that he never had any interest in becoming Ferrari team principal, insisting to Sky Sports it wasn’t his big dream.
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Fiorio describes Binotto as “an excellent technician who has had to learn a job that is not his own.”
Fioro is hopeful that Binotto can turn the tides at Ferrari and return to the form they showed at the start of 2022.
“Now he must ensure that Ferrari regains the luster it had at the start of the season,” he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.