Ferrari 2021 vs 2022: How different is the sentiment?

Ferrari seems to be ready for the new season that starts this weekend. The Italian team made a good impression during testing in Barcelona and Bahrain and hopes to compete for the world title. Last season, however, positive noises were also heard after the winter tests, but winning the world championship proved impossible. So what is the difference between last and this season?

Mattia Binotto's team experienced an excellent racing year in 2019 with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel as drivers which came close to the performance of Mercedes. However, the FIA found out that Ferrari was colouring outside the lines and punished the team, which had a big effect on the new season. During the first tests, it became clear that Ferrari was missing a lot of speed. This resulted in the Italians barely escaping from the middle of the pack in 2020.

With Carlos Sainz and Leclerc as driver duo Ferrari hoped to break that trend last calendar year. During the test days in Bahrain, all eyes were on the team and Ferrari did not make a muddle of it. Although during the first test days Ferrari's speed was in the middle of the standings, by the end of the winter tests it was nicely in the sub-top behind Red Bull Racing and Mercedes.

Hopeful season in 2021

The Formula 1 world, therefore, hoped that Ferrari could once again compete for the world title. Not only did the formation appear to have a better car than in 2021, but they also had two drivers in house who could probably keep up with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. However, Leclerc was cautious when he spoke to the NOS spoke. "I think we have made a step, but we have no idea how good the others are," the driver stated. "Nobody is pushing, nobody is looking for the limit in these tricky conditions. So basically we don't know anything."

Leclerc proved right in his assessment, as during the opening race in Bahrain it became apparent that Mercedes and Red Bull had the better cars, leaving Ferrari to focus mainly on the sub-top of the standings. Occasionally the team proved capable of being competitive to the top two teams, but overall McLaren and Ferrari competed together for the title of 'best of the rest.' Partly due to an improved engine in the autumn, Ferrari managed to catch up with McLaren and take third place in the constructors' championship.

Clear difference with last year

During this year's test days Ferrari again showed positive signs. The Italians immediately recorded fast times and looked rock solid on almost all parts. Whether it comes to the fast and slow corners or speed on straights: Ferrari seems to be back among the top of the rankings. There is, therefore, hope in the Formula 1 world that the world-famous team will once again be at the top of the rankings. Although it is still a long way off, there is a clear difference from last season.

In his earlier statements to the NOS, Leclerc still puts his finger on the sore spot, one year after the event. Whereas Ferrari has a knack of immediately exposing everything during the test days, its competitors more often than not choose to keep their cards close to their chest and only show their maximum performance during the first race weekend. It ensures that Ferrari, like last season, is mostly in the dark. And this year's new regulations don't make that much easier.

Conclusion

However, the sentiment compared to 2021 is considerably different. Where over a year ago the focus was on the disappointing period in 2020 and fighting back to the top in the championship, the current Ferrari has already proven a thing or two. Indeed, Sainz and Leclerc performed satisfactorily last calendar year and seem ready for a championship battle with the top teams. Moreover, Ferrari left a very positive impression at the end of 2021.

In short, last season Ferrari was still clearly searching for the right path which it has now found. The expectations for Sainz have gone up considerably after a year of getting used to the car, Leclerc looks very relaxed in Bahrain, the car looks stable and the team seems ready for the new season. Ferrari is well aware that it will face a lot of competition but is keen to win its first world title in fifteen years. To achieve that, however, there is still a lot of work to be done.