Binotto: 'Red Bull is strongest and therefore the favourite'

It's a small difference, but Ferrari has almost a perfect season start after two races in 2022. The Italian racing team took 78 of the 88 maximum points available, yet team boss Mattia Binotto is wary of Red Bull Racing and Mercedes.

Ferrari picks up almost maximum score

Ferrari is proudly on top of the championship after the first two races. Charles Leclerc took a victory and a pole position in the first two races. Together with teammate Carlos Sainz, they have yet to miss the podium in 2022. According to Binotto, the first goal of this year has already been achieved. To Skysports.com the Italian revealed that they had set themselves the goal of fighting at the top. With a lead of forty points, it already seems likely that Ferrari will go for the title this year.

It is about that defense that Binotto is slightly worried. After all, they are up against Mercedes and Red Bull. Ferrari will therefore have to continue to develop hard throughout the year. Binotto: "It is true that our rivals can develop strongly. In 2017 and in 2018 we lost in that area. But since then we have renewed our wind tunnel, our technology, our processes and our simulations. We are much better prepared now than in the past."

Battle with Red Bull and Mercedes

The team boss is pinning a lot of hope on the tactics around the budget cap. With the F1 teams' budgets severely reduced, money needs to be handled much more strategically. The development of the Ferrari F1-75 costs money, and with a ceiling, that budget has to be distributed tactically throughout the year. Red Bull has shown for years that they are good at development. Why they are lagging behind is due to the reliability problems for Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the first race.

Binotto nevertheless points to Red Bull as the favourite of the season: "I believe Red Bull is the strongest and the favourite." Ferrari driver Sainz also indicates that he is taking into account the strong further development of both Red Bull and Mercedes: "They are two teams that are performing at an incredibly high level and can step up a gear at any moment in the season."