2022 was an extremely difficult year for Ferrari, even though they made big strides compared to 2021. After their disastrous P6 finish in 2020, they managed to pull themselves together to finish P3 the next year. However, 2022 was a year where they had the opportunity to fight for the world title. At least, that’s what they thought.
The F1-75 was arguably the fastest car in the early stages, and Charles Leclerc was the early favorite to win the championship. Unfortunately, strategy blunders and reliability issues led to their title charge fading away as the season progressed.
A huge part of the blame and responsibility for Ferrari’s disastrous end to the season fell on team principal Mattia Binotto’s shoulders. Consequently, he was fired from his position at the end of the season and has been replaced by former Sauber boss Frederic Vasseur.
Binotto, who had been a part of Ferrari since 1995, however, insists that he will be cheering for the Maranello-based squad once the 2023 season gets underway in Bahrain.
Why was Mattia Binotto fired?
Despite being one of the smartest minds in F1, Ferrari felt that Binotto wasn’t the right person to lead them to championship glory once again. The 53-year-old has had a very troubled relationship with the management for the majority of 2022.
Ferrari’s strategy errors were a collective failure for which many people were directly responsible. Being the team principal, however, meant that the ultimate responsibility fell on Binotto’s shoulders. On top of that, the dynamic between the team was not strong because of Binotto’s refusal to name a number one driver.
Throughout the season, he insisted that both drivers would get equal treatment, which according to many, spoiled Leclerc’s chances of fighting Max Verstappen to a great extent. The Ferrari bosses back in Maranello did not like this, and when they saw that the Red Bull RB19 overtook them in terms of performance in the closing stages of the year, they made the tough call of firing Binotto.
What to expect from Ferrari in 2023?
Ferrari head into the 2023 season with optimism yet again. New boss Fred Vasseur once again insisted that both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will get equal opportunities at the beginning of the season. However, if need be, he will make the tough call of prioritizing one driver’s race over the other.
At the 2023 pre-season test in Bahrain, the Scuderia looked fast, but not as fast as Red Bull who seem to have the advantage in the corners. As we approach the opening race of the season in Bahrain, Ferrari will be hoping for a repeat of the 2022 season’s opener when the Italian squad managed to get a 1-2 finish led by Leclerc.
