The 2022 season of Formula 1 brought back single-seaters with ground effect and that caused the grid cards to be shuffled, with the clear example of Mercedes, which since the beginning of the hybrid era had dominated with an iron fist, but that this year has been left out of the battle for victories and titles.
On the other side of the scale is Ferrari, who after several campaigns on the desert road, started the season with the best package on the grid, both in terms of performance and reliability, winning the first races of the course and hanging the ‘favorite’ sign.
However, that has changed as the Grand Prix have progressed and Red Bull has turned the situation around in an alarming way for the Maranello team, which has also contributed to this change of scenery with mistakes that have facilitated the life to his great rival.
In an interview for the French sports daily L’Equipe , Luca di Montezemolo , former Ferrari president, spoke about the situation of the Scuderia and the role that Mattia Binotto , as team principal, is currently playing.
When asked about the continuous mistakes of the Italian structure, the 75-year-old veteran said that in the Formula 1 magnifying glass, what happens in the red team’s garage always stands out more, for better or worse.
“In my time we also made mistakes, as Mercedes or Red Bull have done. But Ferrari is much more in the media’s attention. And Ferrari is never forgiven , because it is Ferrari.”
Referring more specifically to Binotto , Montezemolo praised one of the aspects of the Swiss manager, but expressed doubts about his leadership for a team like Ferrari.
“Binotto is smart enough to always protect his team. He gets all the criticism, he is the team’s shield. But you have to understand the mistakes and then correct them. Binotto is an excellent technical director, but managing Ferrari is a story different .”
However, the former president of Ferrari wanted to distance himself from any controversy when they asked him the key question; Does the Scuderia need another director?: “Who am I to say that? Ferrari is like the flag of Italy, it’s a national monument. Before taking Frenchman Jean Todt to Maranello in 1993, I thought about that choice for a long time and the media talked a lot about it. If I were looking for a new boss, I would look outside of Formula 1. “
“Formula 1 is something very special. You can be a good manager or a good marketing man, but that does not guarantee success in the premier class. You have to be there day and night and be very political to support your team. You have to be strong and keep your team together,” said Montezemolo explaining what a team manager needs in a category like F1.
