Ferrari has built an incredibly good car that, in Jacques Villeneuve's view, is fast and relatively easy to tune. The one-time Formula 1 driver notes that the Red Bull, on the other hand, is much harder to drive. This is where, according to Villeneuve, the crux of the matter lies.
The columnist of Formule1.nl writes that it is striking how little effort it takes Ferrari to be extremely fast from the first moment. In the first three Grand Prix, the Italian formation was faster than biggest competitor Red Bull in the first two free practices on Friday in most cases.
Red Bull in pursuit
Although we are only three races into the season and the 2022 cars have a lot of development potential, Villeneuve expects Red Bull to have a very, very tough time against Ferrari. The combination of a very predictable F1-75 and the Italians' huge lead over the rest of the field means that, according to Villeneuve, Ferrari will still be competing at the front even on a lesser weekend.
"That's psychologically tough for Red Bull. They are used to chasing Mercedes but now they are the champion," said Villeneuve, who argues that this brings another pressure. Meanwhile, the Milton Keynes-based formation can already start chasing again, as the gap to Ferrari in the constructors' championship is already 49 points.
Moreover, unlike Ferrari, Red Bull is facing major reliability problems. In three races, the team has already had three retirements.
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