Mercedes have started to look like themselves in the previous two races, challenging for pole positions and race wins for the first time this season.
Austin and Mexico have been Red Bull versus Mercedes, with Ferrari not being able to compete with their rivals as they had earlier in the year, finishing fifth and sixth last time out in Mexico City.
Team principal Mattia Binotto is not concerned about Mercedes getting the better of them in recent weeks, explaining that Ferrari have fully focused on 2023 while the Silver Arrows are still upgrading their current performance package.
“Mercedes has recently developed its car more aggressively,” he said.
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“We got out earlier and are concentrated fully on 2023.
“It was important to get both cars to the finish line in a bad race. Of course we can’t rely on that and we have to get back to our old form in Brazil and Abu Dhabi,” he continued when quizzed about the particularly poor performance from the team in Mexico.
The gap between Ferrari to Mercedes behind them in the constructors’ championship is now 40 points so barring an absolute disaster in the final two races from the Scuderia, second place should be secured, and the financial benefits that come with it.
The team can also take reassurance from the fact that they were not the only team to struggle in Mexico, with the high altitude preventing a lot of cars from running at their optimal capabilities, in fact Mercedes seemed to benefit from the conditions with their main issue in recent weeks being drag.
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It is understandable why Ferrari have decided to focus on 2023, with a double DNF seemingly being the only way that Mercedes would overtake them in the championship, and a title challenge to start planning for next year.
The Scuderia will want to capitalise on the wounded Red Bull, who will have their CFD and wind tunnel testing time slashed next year, with their budget cap breach punishment having been announced last week.
Christian Horner has claimed that the punishment will cost them a few tenths of lap time, so Ferrari will want to do all they can to capitalise while the energy drink giants are hurt and mount a better title charge than this year with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.