Ferrari’s speed deficit has not been caused by the recently imposed FIA technical directive, according to Mattia Binotto.
Ferrari had the fastest car on the track at the beginning of the season, but they were unable to take advantage of it due to a string of reliability and strategy issues.
The team can no longer assert that it has the car that is the absolute fastest on the grid with only seven races remaining in the 2022 season. They discovered that the F1-75 was no match for either the Red Bull or the Mercedes car at the Dutch Grand Prix.
It has been speculated that the FIA directive, which was implemented following the summer break and was intended to address porpoising but also concentrated on “flexi-floors,” may be the root reason of this loss of speed.
There was suspicion that some in the paddock, particularly Red Bull and Ferrari, had discovered a gray area that allowed them to achieve up to 6mm of flexibility. According to FIA regulations, the wooden plank that runs along the bottom of the car may only have a maximum of 2mm of flexibility.
The body in charge of policing the sport has already stepped in, but Ferrari team principal Binotto has emphasized that this is not the root of their issues.
“We have to understand if these balancing problems are the result of set-up choices or if they are the result of the latest developments,” said the Ferrari boss in an interview with Corriere della Sera. “It is not the directive itself that is causing us problems, its effects are negligible.”
“Here we have experienced a situation very similar to Budapest where this rule was not there. Regardless of the tyres we were using, we were not quick.”
Ferrari will be keeping an eye on Mercedes, who are only 30 points behind Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings, as Red Bull fades into the distance.
Carlos Sainz’s likely grid drop for the Italian Grand Prix due to Ferrari’s need to replace his engine is another worry. For their home race, Binotto was emphatic that they would attempt to keep the number of penalties to a minimum.
Ferrari would want to ascertain the setup issues with the car as soon as possible because, according to a report, they are at a “advanced stage” of the development of their 2023 car. Additionally, Corriere della Sera said that Binotto’s future with the team as the principal was in doubt.
“The World Championship is gone, the objective now to win as many races as possible,” they said.
“Will that be enough for the team principal’s continuation? It is all in the hands of [Ferrari CEO] John Elkann and managing director Benedetto Vigna, who are silent.”
