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Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is choosing to remain optimistic after a mixed 2022 F1 Spanish GP.
Pole sitter Charles Leclerc was comfortably leading the race after the first round of pit stops and appeared to be on course to pick up a routine victory before tragedy reared its ugly head.
Fresh after putting in the fastest lap of the race, the Ferrari driver complained about losing power before subsequently retiring his car. Meanwhile, his teammate Carlos Sainz had his own set of problems and ended the race in P4 to claim his best finish at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
After the race, Mattia Binotto shared his thoughts with Sky Sports F1, saying:
“I think at the end, we need to keep optimistic. It’s been a positive overall weekend in the way we’ve brought upgrades, the car has been fast, we made a fantastic pole on Saturday and the race pace today was great. After a few races where we were struggling with tyre wear and tyre degradation, today at least we were pretty fast.”
After Barcelona blues, what can Ferrari expect at the 2022 F1 Monaco GP?
Ferrari brought in a slew of upgrades in Spain to stay abreast of Red Bull in the developmental race off-track and they seem to have made a difference. Heading towards the next race in Monaco, the Scuderia will hope to iron out any reliability issues they might be carrying.
The race in the Principality also holds added weight for the Scuderia as it is Charles Leclerc's home race. It is also a track where he has not had the best of luck. Leclerc did not finish the GP in 2018 and 2019 after crashing out.
The Monegasque wasn't able to start the race last season despite being on pole, owing to a crash in qualifying. He was also behind the wheel of a classic Ferrari when its brakes failed during the most recent historic GP at the venue.
Given that Monaco is a circuit where qualifying more or less sets the tone for the race, Binotto and Co. will have to try and ensure they are the fastest car on Saturday. The Scuderia will also need to keep an eye on reliability, as the 78 lap event could easily devolve into a race of attrition for all teams.
