Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto contradicts Lewis Hamilton’s statements on Ferrari after the pre-season Barcelona testing this month.
Formula 1 teams recently completed their run in Barcelona for testing. After the three-day-long event, Lewis Hamilton praised Ferrari and McLaren for their developments.
While Mercedes and Red Bull are considered favourites for the title fight, the Italian outfit has been upscaling its challenge for the 2022 season.
However, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto contradicts Hamilton’s recent statements. According to him, he anticipates a tough challenge from Mercedes. Moreover, he also said that it’s a long season ahead, and it’s hard to tell what will happen.
“It was important for us to lay a good foundation,” he looks back at Barcelona. “But we have a very long season ahead of us, and I expect very strong competition from the first race.
Ferrari last year made several advancements to its engine. On Monday, the engines have been frozen until 2026, so Ferrari, at the right time, has reached for their contention to the title.
Mercedes and Red Bull are afraid of Ferrari
Ferrari’s engine gains have probably made their rivals nervous ahead of the 2022 season. According to Motorsport Turkey, Toto Wolff claims that the Maranello based team’s engine is currently the strongest in F1.
Meanwhile, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko is also impressed by the new car by the Maranello based team. Though, he is unsure how much gas the new car will have this season.
Nevertheless, only the new season’s arrival will tell which team is at the pedestal. It is no secret that top teams are prone to sandbag at the start of the season.
What are Ferrari’s expectations?
In 2021 Ferrari declared that they would aim their revival. After attaining P3 in the constructors’ standings, they strive for realistic progress from here.
Before the start of the 2022 season, Binotto is not expecting to breach the top 2 mark. Instead, he is only aiming for a couple of Grand Prix wins. From there, Ferrari would be hoping to compete for the title in the 2023 season.
So, Ferrari has a roadmap with an excellent drivers’ lineup. Will they be able to meet their objective? The season ahead will only tell.
Also read: Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz shares his thoughts on the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres
