Ferrari have met all of their reliability targets in the engine of the F1-75, and are reported to be ready to deploy more power as a result in the upcoming Miami Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc has claimed two wins in the first four races of 2022 for the Scuderia, while Max Verstappen has taken victory in the other two, but poor reliability for the Austrian outfit has put the Dutchman 27 points behind in the Drivers’ Championship.
It was reported after Leclerc and Sainz took a one-two at the Bahrain Grand Prix that the Maranello squad had more power at their disposal if they wanted to use it, but they have spent the first four races assessing their performance and discerning how best to counter Red Bull’s development.
READ: Ferrari set to bolster straight-line speed with major upgrade for Miami GP
That is according to the Italian addition of Motorsport.com, who report that the Scuderia are now satisfied that they have a reliable engine, so they are prepared to unleash more power in Miami.
On top of that, Ferrari are introducing an evolved rear wing that aims to compete with Red Bull, having been nearly 4kph adrift of the Milton Keynes-based team on the straights at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Team principal Mattia Binotto is aware of the prowess of the Red Bull chassis coupled with its powerful Honda-manufactured engine, so would like to match them in that department on the tracks where more straight-line speed is very important.
“Since Miami is a higher speed circuit than any we’ve seen so far, we will bring a rear wing designed for tracks that require efficiency,” he said
“We know that Red Bull will also have a good low/medium aerodynamic package and, therefore, will be competitive. We will fight on a new track where it will be nice to compete.”
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Ferrari endured a tough weekend at their home race in Bologna last weekend as Carlos Sainz crashed in Q2 before being wiped out off the start by Daniel Ricciardo.
In a show of defiance, and surely now buoyed by the imminent arrival of influential upgrades, the Spaniard is optimistic of “good moments” on the horizon.
“[It is] definitely a tough moment and we obviously wanted to do a good race here in front of the fans,” he said.
“There were still 63 laps ahead so to get bumped out of the race in Turn Two is bad but there is always these tough moments in the life of a sportsman and today it is my turn to go through them and as long as I keep working hard I’m sure the good moments will come.”
Leclerc ended the race sixth after a spin, leaving Red Bull just 11 points adrift of Ferrari in the Constructors’ Standings following their one-two finish as Verstappen led home Sergio Perez.