Ferrari it lost the duel with Red Bull in 2022. In both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships the Italians were outclassed, largely doomed by their own mistakes. There are several people who have highlighted these failures, the last of them Mario Andretti, Formula 1 world champion in 1978.
The American has made it clear in an interview with ‘La Gazetta dello Sport’ that Ferrari is not going to stop making mistakes by changing boss, in reference to the departure of Mattia Binotto:”Was it necessary to change the man above? I would need to be able to have more information to be able to make a judgement, but for me there must be a change of strategy“.
In addition, he highlighted that the Scudería’s problem lies in trying to anticipate its rivals and be more intelligent, something that they have not achieved: “When you have a car that fast, you don’t have to do anything different. There were times when your rivals rolled with soft tires, but Ferrari did it with medium. You don’t always have to prove you’re smarter, we’ve seen some stupid things. I don’t know who was responsible, but the system needs to be changed.”
“Pilots need to get more involved, only they know how the tire behaves. When I think about how they took Leclerc out with intermissions in Brazil… My goodness!” Andretti added.
The world champion in 1978 is clear about the reason for Ferrari’s defeat: “This failure is based on an exclusive reliance on data and technology. Computers and high tech are all very well, but once in a while you need experience.”
Of course, Andretti is clear that the Italians will be in contention in 2023: “Ferrari will always be Ferrari. Everyone wants to run there. I hope we see a strong Ferrari in 2023, they have everything to be competitive. If I could choose a car for next season between Red Bull, Ferrari or Mercedes, I would always choose Ferrari“.