Red Bull advantage almost gone: 'That's negligible now'

Red Bull Racing had an advantage over Ferrari on the straights at the start of 2022, but according to Mattia Binotto, that difference is now negligible. He also handed out compliments to his drivers.

Ferrari as fast as Red Bull

Red Bull Racing and Ferrari have built the best cars for 2022 with the RB18 and F1-75 respectively. Each has a completely different philosophy, but both are equally successful. In the early stages of the season, Red Bull was very fast on the straights and Ferrari was fast in the corners. However, as the season progresses, the cars are getting closer and closer to each other.

Since the Canadian Grand Prix Ferrari has had a new rear wing. In Canada it was only available to Charles Leclerc, in Austria, both drivers received the new rear wing. This new wing is larger and provides a greater effect on the straight when the DRS is opened. At the Italian Motorsport.com Binotto says that this has made the gap negligible.

Leclerc and Sainz make the difference

As the gap between the two cars narrows, the drivers have more influence on performance. The Ferrari team boss, therefore, stresses that Leclerc and Sainz performed fantastically in Spielberg. In his view, Red Bull still has a slight advantage on the straights, but with the right balance in the car Ferrari was faster.

The speed didn't help Carlos Sainz enough though, as he crashed out a few laps before the end. Ferrari are already at their maximum number of engine parts and has proved to be a lot less reliable than its competitors. Although the speed is increasing, the reliability should be a concern in Maranello.