Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the extra development work they were able to do on their 2022 car compared to Mercedes was only worth up to a tenth of a second per lap.
Formula 1 teams’ new cars for the upcoming season were the first to be designed and built under new aerodynamic development rules which handicap each outfit based on their previous constructors championship finishing positions.
As Mercedes won the 2020 constructors championship they were permitted the least development time last year, when their cars for the new season were being designed. Ferrari placed sixth in 2020 and therefore were allowed to do more of the same development than Mercedes, plus rivals Red Bull, McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested Ferrari’s extra development resource could have been worth at least two tenths of a second to them. Binotto put it at half that.
“We have some more runs at the wind tunnel but if you look at the amount it’s a…