Ferrari might 'protest' against FIA if it tries to introduce porpoising measures under a 'safety argument' in 2023 F1 season: Reports

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto recently hinted at potentially rejecting Mercedes' directive to classify porpoising as a safety issue. He claimed that there was no reason to do so since most teams had the problem under control. Mercedes itself has a come a long way since the start of the season, as indicated by its double podium finish last weekend at the 2022 French Grand Prix.

Speaking about Mercedes' directive, Binotto told Auto Motor und Sport:

“There is no reason to classify the whole thing as a safety problem. Most teams have long since had bouncing under control and for the race at Spa there are fixed limits anyway. If the cars comply with the specifications (the AOM), they should be safe with it. And if there is no safety argument, the normal voting process has to be followed when the rules are changed.”

The report says protests are likely in the case that the voting process, according to which eight out of the ten teams must agree to a last-minute regulatory change for such a change to be brought about, is not followed. It stated:

“Binotto even went so far as to say people would protest against the rules if they just wanted to push them through with the safety argument. The FIA does not have to prove there is a safety problem, however proof could have to be provided before a civil court that safety is not endangered in this case.”

Christian Horner has also previously accused Mercedes of "lobbying" to change the regulations to gain an advantage ahead of the 2023 season.

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Ferrari focusing one a one-two finish at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix

Ferrari had yet another nightmare of a weekend in France, with Charles Leclerc losing out on significant championship points despite having a comfortable lead after crashing into the barriers and making for his third retirement of the season. Mattia Binotto, however, believes that despite the mistake made by the Monegasque, Ferrari showed sufficient pace over the weekend, making a one-two finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix a reasonable target for the team.

In a post-race media interaction, the Italian said:

“If you would have asked me before this race what was the gap to Red Bull or Max [Verstappen], I couldn’t answer to you because I’m not looking. What we are focused on is trying to go at each single race and get the maximum results from it. And it didn’t happen here in Paul Ricard.”

He continued:

“There is always something to improve and learn, and that’s our approach. It’s step by step; we are progressing and becoming better. Once again today we have proved to our drivers, we have a fast car and a competitive one. I think we are simply looking to Hungary, we need to turn the page and look to Hungary and do a one-two there, so we simply focus on the next result.”

Carlos Sainz's recovery to P5 from the back of the grid in France certainly reflects Ferrari's potential. It will be interesting to see how the team fares in Hungary next weekend.