Among the teams suspected of having ‘stopped’ the Ferrari test at Fiorano with the SF21 last week there is also the Red Bull (the other name circulated is that of Aston Martin). The fear of the competitors is that the Scuderia di Maranello could draw important information in terms of the ‘dimensions’ of the 2022 power unit by testing the drive unit equipped with the new endothermic V6 combined with the advanced hybrid system that has already debuted in F1 starting from 2021 Russian Grand Prix.
Just it upgrade step of the hybrid part allowed the SF21 a clear leap in quality highlighted by the change of pace against McLaren in the appeal to third place, put in the safe without reaching the photo finish with the Woking team. In Red Bull they are well aware of how much in terms of power unit Ferrari was already close to the performance of Honda’s RA621H, also because in Abu Dhabi after the pit stop Max Verstappen had to sweat and not a little to overtake Carlos Sainz despite the tires. fresh because the Maranello engine still had horsepower supplied by the electric part at the end of the straight, unlike what the Dutch then world champion could have at the end of the race.
The sporting director of Red Bull, Jonathan Wheatleyhas identified in Ferrari the great unknown and threat of 2022. “It is very difficult to predict what the balance of power will be in 2022 – said Wheatley host of the podcast The Jack Threlfall Show – you can only rely on your own data in relation to those of the past season. Information leaks about rivals, but you never know how true they are or whether they are only meant to scare away the competition. Ferrari is at the same time the great unknown and the great threat of 2022. Already at the end of 2021 we were able to verify how well they were performing, at least in terms of power unit, and in general the SF21 was the third fastest car on the track by gap. Plus, we didn’t know how Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz would work together, but so far they seem to have found a good chemistry ”. Obviously the ideal scenario for a team is to dominate the length and breadth of a season, but Jonathan Wheatley would not disdain a challenge that would automatically give great shine to the winners: “Having seven or eight drivers fighting for the world title would be great – he has declared – because at that point every little strategic decision and every weekend would take on an enormous specific weight. Coming to the end of the season exhausted, but having achieved something extraordinary at the end of an unarmed fight that lasted 23 weekends, would be fantastic ”.
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