“We think it will be good for us to get competitive again in 2022, but it’s too early to tell.” said Matthias Binotto after the undoubtedly very positive performance of the new Ferrari F1-75 in the first three days of this year’s Formula 1 winter tests in Barcelona.

After the development tests of this year’s new cars on the racetrack in Catalonia, the comments of Scuderia’s competitors were almost resounding. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and RBR’s Helmut Marco said Ferrari has the most powerful powerplant at the moment, while Lewis Hamilton wondered if the Italian team “is many months ahead” as it has fully committed to the car of 2022 much earlier than last June compared to Mercedes.

While Marco appreciated that Ferrari seems to have risen to the level of Mercedes and RBR, he added that on the other hand “I’m almost sure we’ve been working on more fuel than most other teams, so I think we’re not far behind Mercedes and a little ahead of Ferrari.”

In this haze, Binoto hastened to clarify that Maranello’s team don’t get carried away by this kind of psychological games: “In Barcelona, ​​the first tests were used to collect data and make correlations. [με τα δεδομένα του εργοστασίου]. But when we go to Bahrain we will all try to do race simulations and ranking tests to get the maximum performance from the car. This makes the relative competitiveness of the cars clearer.”he stressed.

Specifically for Hamilton’s comments, he replied indicatively: “I’m sure they will be there once we go to Bahrain [η Mercedes] two or three months in advance”. And he continued: “It was important for us to build a good base but we have a great season ahead of us and I expect very strong competition from the first GP. Racing teams hide the true dynamics of their cars, some more than others. It is too early to make a judgment on vehicle performance.

So far the car drives well, or rather without major problems. The exercise has been performed correctly so far. Will that be enough? Let’s not forget that we were at least a second slower at the end of last year [στο γύρο] from the top teams. “We think it will be good for us to become competitive again in 2022. But it is still too early to judge.” added Binoto.

The Maranello commander expressed confidence that many of the other teams would make major improvements to their cars in the second three days of winter testing in Bahrain (March 10-12) and that “The differences will narrow as the year progresses.”

Although Mercedes and Red Bull are likely to make significant changes to the W13 and RB18 respectively during the Bahrain tests, Ferrari will adopt a very different tactic. Binoto has confirmed that the Scuderia won’t be bringing any major F1-75 upgrades next week as their other strategy is aimed at boosting the car’s maximum performance – before the upgrade.

F1-75, Binoto added, “It won’t be much different. I think the first step for us is to get the most out of what we have. We’re still a long way from our optimal performance, not just because we had it.” [στη Βαρκελώνη] high fuel load and limited engine tuning, but mainly because there is still a lot to discover in the car.

We are now working even harder on this, not only with the settings, but also with the required driving style. So let’s wait and see what others bring. Of course, at Ferrari we are always interested in the upgrades being introduced by our competitors. “I’m sure they will be very, very strong by then.” concluded Matthias Binotto.