Ferrari, mandatory rebound in 2021

Despite a still precarious health situation, Ferrari respected its Christmas tradition by inviting the media to speak with the head of Gestione Sportiva, Mattia Binotto.

No fun this year, Covid-19 obliges, but a virtual press conference during which the main Italian team will have started by discussing the “very poor” results of a 2020 season concluded in an anonymous 6th place in the Manufacturers ranking .

“We knew from the winter that the car was not performing as well as expected, but we did not expect to experience such a complicated year, Binotto admitted. Our level of performance was not in line with Ferrari standards. »

After a season weighed down by a weak engine and a failed chassis, because it generated too much drag, the boss of the Reds wanted to be “realistic” when discussing the 2021 objectives. Like many other teams, Ferrari made of the technical upheaval 2022 its priority. However, the Scuderia cannot afford to return a new poor score sheet next year.

Binotto is fully aware of this, as well as the consequences that a prolonged period of failure would have on his personal future, having just seen Louis Camilleri, one of his fervent supporters, hastily leave his post as CEO of Ferrari.

“I know my time is not infinite”, recognized the trained engineer, setting the horizon for a return to the championship trifecta. “The gap with the leading team is very big. I think the 2020 champions will be very strong once again. I feel like they haven't made many changes this season to focus on 2021. To say that we will be back at the front and able to fight for the championship would be unrealistic. Now, if you look at the previous five years, we finished 2nd four times and 3rd once. We were the closest team to beating Mercedes. Finishing 3rd is not completely impossible. This must be our minimum objective. »

Binotto recalls, however, that chassis development was largely frozen between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, with teams only having a pair of tokens to make targeted improvements. The transalpine technician is also concerned about the “free” developments that teams like Racing Point and Alpha Tauri by acquiring the 2020 specification of certain parts from their respective parent companies, Mercedes and Red Bull. The big reason for hope, Binotto places it at the back of that which will take the name of SF21, “a simple name to mark the transition to the 2022 project”.

Ferrari has in fact planned to introduce a brand new power unit next year with the ambition of making up part of the delay observed this season. “I can confirm that the results of the new engine on the test bench are promising,” said the Italian boss. As for whether we have recovered to the 2019 level, I don't think that's the question. What we will have to see is the comparison with our rivals. But we will be back with a competitive engine. I have the feeling, given the numbers on the bench, that we will no longer have the worst block on the grid. »

Recovered from the health problem which had deprived him of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Binotto appeared on the screen flanked by his two drivers, Charles Leclerc and especially Carlos Sainz, who on this occasion took his first steps in the shoes of a Ferrari starter.

No No. 1 driver

The Spaniard had left McLaren and the United Kingdom on the morning of Friday December 18. “It’s all new, all fresh, my first day in red, you can imagine that it’s a pretty special feeling, commented Sainz. It's a day I won't forget. Obviously, the circumstances are a bit special. We would have liked it to be a little more normal. I am 100% ready and motivated. »

On the menu for the Madrilenian: visit to the facilities, lunch with his new boss and teammate, and contact with the team, in particular its engineers, including Riccardo Adami who previously supported Sebastian Vettel. Sainz will make his debut behind the wheel of a Ferrari during the month of January on the private Fiorano track with a car of 2018. With only three days of winter testing scheduled in 2021, the Scuderia plans to rely heavily on its simulator (a new one is being built for mid-2021) to allow Sainz to familiarize himself with his new environment, driving procedures, or even the management of the Ferrari propeller.

“We know that Carlos is a fast driver, replied Binotto when asked about Ferrari's expectations of its new recruit. He is coming off a very good season in 2020 and improved in qualifying, an area that did not seem to be his strong point. And he's still good at racing. I expect him to make a vital contribution to the team in the run-up to the Constructors' Championship, which is vital for us. He will also share his experience with different teams, which allowed him to try several methodologies. »

Sainz's contract with Ferrari is only for two seasons initially, while Leclerc has been tied to the Scuderia until 2024 since last winter. Should we conclude that the Monegasque is the designated leader in Maranello? “Nothing in Charles' contract indicates that he is the leader of the team,” Binotto said. Both will have the right to fight on the track. Obviously, they shouldn't hang on, but they will have equal chances at the start of the season. Our priority is to optimize the overall result of the team. In certain races, they will therefore have to help the team or accept decisions taken in the interest of the team. Later in the season, if a driver has taken a clear advantage and is able to achieve this or that unattainable objective for his teammate, there will be an open discussion between the two and we will see how to proceed, always within the interest of the team. »

In 2020, Leclerc scored almost three times as many points as his ex-teammate Sebastian Vettel (98 against 33). If he manages to make a much larger contribution than his predecessor in red to his new employer's 2021 harvest, Sainz will have already fulfilled a good part of his contract.