Ferrari: No reason we cannot win final 10 races of F1 2022
Ferrari sees no reason why it cannot win the remaining 10 Formula 1 races this season to help save its world championship ambitions.
The Maranello team and its early title leader Charles Leclerc have found themselves firmly on the back foot thanks to a combination of engine problems, strategy blunders and driver errors in recent weeks.
Leclerc’s latest mistake, spinning out of the lead at the French Grand Prix, left the door open for main rival Max Verstappen to grab yet another victory.
That success means the Dutchman now enjoys a 63 points advantage in the drivers’ standings, with his Red Bull squad 82 points clear in the constructors’ championship.
But while the gap looks immense, it is not insurmountable – and Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said all his team could do now was target victory in each of the remaining races
Reflecting on whether or not the Italian squad’s title hopes now relied on Red Bull tripping up, Binotto said: “I don't know, because I'm not counting points. If you would have asked me before this race what was the gap to Red Bull or Max, I couldn't answer to you because I'm not looking.
“What we are focused on is trying to go to each single race and get the maximum results from it. It didn't happen here in Paul Ricard, but I think we're already focused on Hungary and going there for a 1-2.
“I think each single race counts [the same] as the others. At the end of the season, we will do the sums and let's see where we are.”
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Binotto said the fact that Ferrari’s car has proved so quick, with Leclerc looking on course for the win in France, has left him feeling that the team has the potential to pull off an impressive run.
“I think what's more important to see is the good package,” he explained. “There is no reason why not to win 10 races from now to the end.
“I think that the way to look at it is positively, and I like to be positive - staying optimistic. Could something happen to Max and to Red Bull? It already happened to them as it happened to us. Maybe it happens as well.
“But I'm not counting on it. I think we need to be focused on ourselves and do the best.”
While Leclerc was left counting the cost for the mistake that pitched him out of the French GP, Binotto is clear that the Monegasque’s pace is such that things could turn around very quickly.
“What I have said to Charles is that things are more complicated, but not impossible,” he said. “And simply we will enjoy more in case we can turn it into a victory at the end.
“We need to stay focused in each single race. If I look back on the last races, we had always a great potential. It didn't turn into the best results in terms of championship points, but right now there is no reason why in the next 10 races that cannot happen.
“The potential is there. The drivers are fantastic. So I am pretty positive.”
Sargeant's bid for Williams F1 seat "a great headache" - Capito
Ricciardo message reaffirming F1 future "wasn't a surprise" to McLaren
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.