After finishing third in 2021 behind Mercedes and Red Bull, the Maranello team hopes that the radical change of cars that will come in 2022 will further help them close the gap with the leading teams.
Boasting one of the closest driver pairings in Formula 1 , Scuderia Ferrari is well aware that if its two drivers take points off each other, it could be a very serious compromise if they find themselves in a championship battle.
However, team principal Mattia Binotto is clear that Sainz and Leclerc will start with the same opportunities next season, adding that it will be the results on track that will ultimately decide whether they should favor one or the other at any given time.
“In terms of drivers, as we have often said, I think it is the track that will decide,” he said.
“The priority is always the team, but if they can compete for an important position in the championship, it will be the track that decides who is ahead.”
“I think it’s not just about the talent or ability of each driver, because suddenly one can be very unlucky and have damage, reliability issues or accidents. So we won’t have a number one, number two driver policy. We will discuss based on the positions during the course of the season”.
Carlos Sainz surprised everyone in an impressive first campaign with Ferrari in 2021, finishing 5.5 points and two positions ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc.
However, Binotto does not think there is any reason to say that Leclerc underperformed Sainz , as he feels the Monegasque driver was very unlucky on some occasions: “I have to say that I am very happy to see the progress that has done this year.”
“I think he’s always been very quick in qualifying, even in the last part of the season where maybe Carlos was challenging him a bit more.
“We should also not forget that there are a couple of examples, which are Monaco and Budapest, where he didn’t score points because of bad luck. Without those moments, it’s hard to say where he would have finished, but maybe he’s about 40 points short of his locker. So, Without that, again, I think I would have been much further ahead in the championship.”
“For this reason, I repeat that I can only judge his season in a very positive way. He has also learned to manage the tyres, the race situations and the race pace. So I am quite satisfied with the progress he has made,” he concluded. the manager of Ferrari .
