Ferrari always triggers very strong emotions in the fans. It is the red national team and the expectations for the Maranello team are always very high, especially when, after two years of deep crisis, the Scuderia has given clear signs of recovery.
The resounding start to the season made the illusion that the Prancing Horse brand could fight for the two world championships: riders and manufacturers. The F1-75 was born well, proposing an aerodynamic concept that, together with that of the Red Bull RB18, is leading the way. And the driver duo is considered one of the most competitive on the grid, so there were and are all the conditions to aim high, very high with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Mattia Binotto, Ferrari team principal, did not betray his role in his speech at the Sport Festival admirably curated by Gazzetta dello Sport. The engineer from Reggio is the “lightning rod” of the Gestione Sportiva because he is the one who always puts his face on it, becoming the “regulator” of a system that is subjected to enormous pressures, with monstrous ups and downs that can lead to devaluations.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
His always calm, monotonous tone of voice is a stabilizer of a system in constant turmoil. On the eve of the Singapore GP it can be said that Ferrari’s balance sheet is short, the red deserved more than what it collected on the track, but the 2022 world championship showed what are the stretch marks of a team that is not yet ripe for start a cycle of successes: repeated errors in strategies, engine failures due to lack of reliability and some drivers’ flaws have removed the Scuderia from the world championship.
Binotto is a demanding manager, but he pampers his drivers. To those who asked him what he would expect more from Leclerc and Sainz he replied: “More victories. I say it and repeat it: we have the best couple in F1. They get along very well with each other and for the contribution they make, for how they help each other contribute to the growth of the team ”.
“When we talk about it on Fridays and Saturdays after the sessions about what one or the other feels, there is an open, sincere exchange. They both know that improving our car and our team means growing to beat the others ”.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, signs autographs after the Italian GP
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Mattia is keen to emphasize how high the challenge awaits Ferrari: “It is no longer enough to do your homework well, to win you have to keep progressing and improving: and to do this we have to give 120% if not 130%”.
“We have been selling for very difficult seasons, from sixth place 2021 in the Constructors: It has been years that have marked us because we have been under pressure and criticism. And in a way they formed us. We had promised that we would be competitive again and we have kept our promise, but what I mean is that between having a high-performance car and drivers and the ability to consolidate the ability to make every situation concrete, there is still a step to take ”.
Mattia recalled when he joined Ferrari in 1995 and did not forget Michael Schumacher’s first red victory in Spain in 1996: “It was also my first victory and when I heard the anthem I realized what it means to be Ferrari, but then we started winning the championships in 1999 and 2000 ”.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
Today’s wait is long and F1 has changed a lot: “It is upset, the main teams have more than doubled their staff. In the race there are real giants in terms of means and resources. But for this it will be even better to beat them! ”.
But what is missing to get to the top? “That winning mentality that was Schumacher at the time and that pushed you to do better after each victory”.
And a few mistakes too many … “In Montmelò and Baku we had trouble when we were in the lead …”.
Binotto took a picture of the team with clarity, but looks to the future with confidence: already in Marina Bay Ferrari will try to resume the path of victory after some difficult races. It would be the best medicine to build a competitive 2023 …
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