Team Analysis | Can Ferrari make it difficult for Red Bull Racing?

2021 F1 season

Ferrari is coming off a very disappointing period. The Italian racing stable failed to move out of the middle of the constructors' championship in 2020, so it was working hard behind the scenes to recover. Ferrari made changes by bringing in Carlos Sainz, among others, hoping to find its way back up the ladder in 2021.

Whereas Charles Leclerc did extremely well right from the start, Sainz had more trouble maintaining a high level. The Spaniard had to get used to his new car and team, but managed to come back over the course of the season. It even ensured that after the last race he was above Leclerc in the world championship. However, the gap with Mercedes and Red Bull Racing remained huge.

Winter Test

The Italians, however, took advantage of the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. It ensured that the two top teams mainly kept their focus on the 2021 season, while Ferrari could already think more about the new season. As a result, during the test days in Barcelona and Bahrain, Ferrari immediately came out strong. Not only was it quickly clear that the F1-75, as Ferrari's new car is called, was stable, but Sainz and Leclerc also performed well immediately.

However, it was not all roses and moonlight for Ferrari, because the Italians had to deal with porpoising during the preseason, just like the other teams. For days Mattia Binotto 's team worked hard to solve it. That solution seems to have come, because in Barcelona Ferrari showed itself to be good again. However, it remains to be seen whether this will be enough during the first races.

Ferrari in 2022

The expectations around Ferrari are high. The team has failed to win the world championship since 2007, but is still an important part of Formula 1. Binotto therefore seems to be doing everything in his power to make a good impression in the coming months and to compete at the top of the world championship.

With Sainz and Leclerc, Ferrari has built up a driver duo in recent years that should be able to compete with the best drivers in Formula 1. Both drivers showed on several occasions last season that they have an unerring feel for their car and hope to compete for the world title. However, they will have to be able to keep up with the competition.

Expectations

Where Mercedes and McLaren still seem to need time to compete for the front places, Ferrari seems to be ready for the fight for pole position. If the team manages to win the battle with Red Bull straight away and win the Bahrain Grand Prix it could be an extra push in the right direction to make things difficult for the competition.

Ferrari, however, is realistic enough to know that the competition has not been sitting still in recent months and that it will therefore be difficult to regain the world title after fifteen years. However, the formation has shown often enough in the past that it is capable of a lot. If there is a season where Ferrari can strike, it is in 2022.