Despite starting the season with a stunning one-two finish in Bahrain, Ferrari’s 2022 season has to be considered a failure as the team finished as runners up in both championships.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull were given a clear path to championship glory are Ferrari repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with a catalogue of strategy issues and reliability problems, which put Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz out of contention for victories on multiple occasions.
The Scuderia announced earlier this month that they had accepted the resignation of team principal Mattia Binotto, after the pressure was mounting on the team to make a change in their management department.
The Swiss will be replaced by Alfa Romeo’s Fred Vasseur, who will most likely bring some of his own staff across to Ferrari in an attempt to eradicate the mistakes from the team.
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Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has been discussing Vasseur’s appointment in a recent interview and suggested that sacking Binotto was not the solution for Ferrari’s problems.
“In the case of Ferrari, I don’t quite understand the change,” said the Austrian.
“I consider Binotto to be an excellent technician and politician. He was simply overwhelmed by the task.
“But it would have been enough to put a sports director at his side to support him at the track and with the strategy.
“With the new man, who has many other jobs, I see a weakening for Ferrari.”
Marko’s prediction for Ferrari will come as music to the ears of Mercedes, who could not be in the best position to win the 2023 championships with their unchanged driver lineup and staff.
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While Ferrari may be weakened by Vasseur’s appointment in the eyes of Marko, the Scuderia will also be subject to a period of adaptation which could see them start the season slowly in 2023.
Red Bull will also have significantly less testing time in 2023 compared to their rivals, as they received the least amount of time due to their finishing position in the championship and will also see their aerodynamic testing period slashed by ten percent as punishment for breaching the 2021 cost cap.
Having won a record shattering 15 races in 2022, Max Verstappen may be the only man capable of overcoming Red Bull’s deficit next season, as the Dutchman looks to add a third consecutive title to his already impressive CV.