Ferrari’s 2022 season can be looked at in a positive or negative light, as the team did make huge strides forward under the new regulations but ultimately underperformed.
A one-two finish at the season opener in Bahrain gave fans hope that the Scuderia could win their first constructors’ title since 2008 and with the fastest car on track, this looked a real possibility.
Red Bull quickly recovered from their slow start and were gifted an enormous lead in both championships by Ferrari as they battled with reliability issues and strategic blunders.
After struggling to hold off Mercedes to just about keep second place, team principal Mattia Binotto resigned and has been replaced by former Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasseur.
READ: Toto Wolff sends warning to Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc
Former Mercedes vice-president Norbert Haug has now given his take on Ferrari’s 2022, claiming that things were not as bad as they have been made out for the Scuderia.
“Ferrari did not have a catastrophic year. Ferrari became vice world champions, both for the drivers, with Charles Leclerc, and for the teams,” Haug told RND.
“Even in the best of cases, Red Bull would have been unbeatable by Ferrari.
“And the fact that Ferrari made some – to put it mildly – strange strategic decisions over the course of the year and garnished them with various slapstick inserts during the pit stops – a gift.
“Even without making mistakes, Ferrari could not have finished better in both standings than it did in the past season. In 2023, Ferrari has to be better than second, which I dare not predict.”
READ: ‘I’m happy to remind him’: Alpine send Esteban Ocon warning about Pierre Gasly
Under the leadership of Fred Vasseur, Ferrari will be hoping for a change of fortunes this year as Red Bull’s cost cap breach penalty leaves the door wide open for the likes of themselves and Mercedes to launch a more meaningful title bid than last year.
Mattia Binotto has explained that Ferrari’s reliability issues were a result of their powerful power unit, which they eventually had to tone down towards the latter stages of the season to prevent even more retirements that could have cost the team their runner up spots.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz create one of the most exciting driver lineups on the grid in 2023, meaning that Ferrari have a real opportunity to challenge for both championships should they get their development right for their new car.