The Maranello-based squad started the 2022 campaign as the team to beat, with Charles Leclerc winning two of the opening three grands prix of the season with the F1-75.
However, Red Bull quickly bounced back from its difficult start to bring rapid performance improvements to its RB18 that eventually helped Max Verstappen seize control of the drivers’ championship.
The Dutchman, who clinched the crown at the Japanese Grand Prix, would end up winning a record 15 races by the end of the season.
Reflecting on why Red Bull was able to make better gains throughout the year, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto thinks it was the result of the two teams focusing on completely different areas for improvement.
And he suggests that Red Bull’s chief attack on shedding weight from its car, which started the year too heavy, was much easier to bear fruit than Ferrari’s need to deliver aerodynamic gains.
“I think there have been a few factors,” said Binotto, when asked by Motorsport.com about why Red Bull’s development was stronger over the course of 2022.
“The first I think that, in terms of development, Red Bull had a clear route, which was reducing the weight of the car. This was not our case.
“They knew what [they needed] to tackle to get performance out of the car itself. For us it was more complicated because it was really through aero developments and trying to improve the car from the concept and the aero point of view.
“Also, I think if I look back, maybe the development we did was not certainly sufficient. We stopped very early; not only for a choice but because of expenditure reasons. But there are some things that we need to review.”
Ferrari revealed recently that work on its 2022 car stopped several weeks ago because the team had hit the limit with its cost cap spending for the year.
Binotto said how successful Ferrari was in dividing its resources between this year and next can only be judged based on the success of its 2023 challenger.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“Have we made the right choice by stopping so early, in terms of priority between 2022 and ’23? I don’t know,” he said.
“I think only 2023 can tell us what has been the right choice or not. More than that, maybe we could have done a better and proper development of the car, within what we did. And that is something which we need to review.
“But I think the main reason is Red Bull got a…
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