“Ferrari are under a lot of pressure”: Why 2022 is going to be a make or break year for the Scuderia?

Ferrari is aiming to compete for the World Title in 2022 after spending several years in the shadows of its rivals. 

2021 was a redemption year of sorts for Ferrari after a dismal 2020 season. The Italian team finished 6th that year, in what was their worst F1 performance since 1980. Last year, they managed to pick up some form and earn 5 podiums and a 3rd place finish in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, team principal Mattia Binotto claimed that they aim to reach greater heights in 2022. Ferrari was one of the earliest teams on the grid to start developing their 2022 car, and many have predicted their return to glory.

Binotto himself expects the Scuderia to compete for race wins this year. But the question is, with an exciting driving pairing of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, can the Tifosi expect their team to be World Champions again?

According to Gary Anderson of The Race, 2022 will be a defining year for Ferrari. They are the biggest and most successful name in F1 history and are arguably the most popular one. Hence, all the pressure will be on the Maranello based team to deliver.

Also read: Ferrari discusses how they will decide drivers’ hierarchy for 2022

Ferrari may resort to ‘old ways’ if the 2022 season turns out to be a failure

For the first time in many years, Ferrari entered an F1 season knowing that their main aim would be to prepare for the next. A team as big as Ferrari is always expected to win, but they decided that their best course of action would be to rely on long-term planning ahead of the regulation changes in 2022.

Over the years, Ferrari has often resorted to blaming people within their organization for their collective failures. As a result, many have lost their jobs when the Maranello outfit didn’t perform well.

“If Ferrari is not successful in 2022, then they will go back to the old methods very quickly and we will see heads roll,” Anderson mentioned.

He feels that if things don’t work out in their favour this season, they may go back to focusing on their older methods once again.

Binotto himself downplayed the title expectations placed on his team’s shoulder for 2022. He is confident of Sainz and Leclerc competing for race wins but feels that the gap they have to Mercedes and Red Bull is still far too big.

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