It really did feel like 2022 could be Ferrari’s year, after the team shocked the F1 world with a one-two finish at the season opener in Bahrain.
All eyes had been on Red Bull and Mercedes, but with multiple DNFs in the opening races for the energy drink giants, and the Silver Arrows looking significantly off the pace, Ferrari looked to have a golden chance at the title.
In the end it was not to be for the Scuderia, as Charles Leclerc and the team slowly fell away from Max Verstappen and Red Bull in both championships, with poor decision making being a key factor in their shortcomings.
Team principal Mattia Binotto has found himself under pressure from the fans to keep his job, as the Tifoso grow frustrated with constant strategy errors which have cost the team so dearly this year.
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Binotto however has suggested that improving their decision making is not the main focus for next year, claiming that improving reliability is the top priority.
“That’s our top priority because in order to win you need to be reliable and that has not been the case in the season, as a balance of the season itself,” he suggested.
“The second is the speed of the car, because while we have been very competitive in quali, that has not always been the case in the race itself – and our race pace, whether it is from tyre degradation or pure race pace, was not sufficient for a better position.”
In the early stages of the season Ferrari looked to have the fastest car on the grid by quite some margin, however as suggested by Binotto it was their reliability that let them down.
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Every team that uses Ferrari powertrains experienced major issues in Baku, while Carlos Sainz’s car caught alight in Austria, contributing to just one of multiple DNFs for the team this year.
While fans have been critical of the Scuderia’s performance in 2022, the team principal has suggested that he is actually satisfied with the year, claiming that Ferrari were never actually planning to compete with Red Bull for the title until next year.
Ferrari have also rubbished claims that Binotto’s job is at risk, leaving the Swiss team principal to plan a better year for Ferrari in 2023.