Ferrari apparently plans two more upgrades for 2022, the first of which will be in Singapore after their apparent resurgence in Monza.
Ferrari intends to offer Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz two additional upgrades in an effort to snap Max Verstappen’s winning streak.
The Red Bull driver is on track to break the records for the most victories in a season and the most victories in a row. While seven-time champion Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel currently share the latter, Vettel currently holds the former all by himself.
Ferrari’s title defense in 2022 is now essentially finished, and there’s a chance that their ambitions of winning the first Drivers’ championship since 2007 could be crushed as early as Singapore.
Charles Leclerc won the season opening in Bahrain for the Scuderia, and he then easily prevailed in Melbourne, either side of a victory for Verstappen in Jeddah.
Upgrades were always going to be important given this year’s rapid evolution and the new technical regulations.
Red Bull has delivered the necessary upgrades at the right time because this year’s budget cap was initially considered more stringent, which increased the significance of doing so. Since Red Bull made upgrades for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez have managed to win all 12 of the most recent races.
Leclerc and Sainz have shared the pole position nine times this season, discounting Verstappen’s grid penalty in Belgium after he finished six tenths of a second faster than the Spaniard on Saturday. This is despite the fact that the enhancements they introduced have undoubtedly made a difference.
A particularly low point was the Belgian Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen qualified six tenths quicker than the fastest Ferrari before completely dominating the race.
The Italian Grand Prix, which took place at Monza along with Spa, is a high-speed, low-downforce track, so there were worries that Ferrari might suffer a similar battering there.
Verstappen did win the race, although Ferrari was undoubtedly more competitive than in Spa because Charles Leclerc had won pole position on the previous day.
Furthermore, the Scuderia frequently raced at a pace comparable to that of their rivals for the championship, but reliability and strategy have been the two key issues that have ended their title hopes.
According to Motorsport.com, the Italian team plans to introduce an update at the Singapore Grand Prix, where they won with Sebastian Vettel in 2019. Verstappen would claim the championship in Singapore, but only if Leclerc and Perez failed to finish higher than ninth and fourth, respectively.
The Singapore Grand Prix is reportedly “considered as a wonderful opportunity” to end Verstappen’s winning streak at five when Formula 1 action returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time since 2019. They report that an update to the floor and the wings will be introduced.
Furthermore, according to Motorsport.com, this is not the last update that Ferrari has planned. Apparently, there is still room in the budget for two more. According to the source, Mexico might be the venue for the introduction of this second upgrade, giving Ferrari three races to use its abilities.
The report also indicates that the 2023 challenger is now the technical department’s primary concern at Ferrari, despite the Scuderia’s renewed enthusiasm for winning and want to experience victory before the 2022 season is over.
