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Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto does not think strategy is the team's weak point in 2022. The team has come under considerable scrutiny for its strategic choices in 2022, with the recent Hungarian GP being a prime example of the team's strategic blunders.
Ferrari were presented with a golden opportunity to play catch-up in points to their rivals Red Bull at the 2022 Hungarian GP, with Max Verstappen starting in P10. However, when the Scuderia decided to pit race leader Charles Leclerc for a set of hard compound tires towards the mid-point of the race even though they had been proven not to work. In turn, the Monegasque lost out on his chance to close the gap to Verstappen in the Driver Standings. To add insult to injury, the Dutchman ended up winning the race despite his starting position in what was one of his best drives ever in the sport.
However, Mattia Binotto defended Ferrari's strategic calls in an interview with motorsport.com. He said:
“I believe there is always a way to improve, you cannot be perfect and you never will be. I have no doubts about the need to always make progress, we need to improve on aerodynamics, on the chassis, on the power unit, on the strategy and all the aspects that can be improved. That said, I think I have a great team dealing with strategy and I don’t think that’s our weakness. Races like Monaco, Silverstone or Paul Ricard were judged to be problematic on this front, but I don’t see the group as a problem, because I believe we have also made the right decisions.’’
Red Bull doesn't want a 'heavyweight bout' with Ferrari in 2022
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said that he doesn’t want another “heavyweight bout” with Ferrari this season after an extremely fierce title battle against Mercedes the previous season.
When asked if he wanted a much closer battle with Ferrari following Max Verstappen’s impressive victory at the 2022 Hungarian GP, Horner told Autosport:
“There’s not one ounce of me that wishes that. Last year was a heavyweight bout that went 22 rounds. And I’d prefer not to have to go through that again.”
As it stands, the battle between the two teams is far from being as intense as the Red Bull vs. Mercedes battle of 2021 as the Scuderia are nearly a hundred points behind the Austrian team in the Constructor Standings. However, with nine races yet to go, the Tifosi can hope for a late resurgence from the Italian side.
